


Brightest Night & Darkest Day

by CrownPrincessMoon



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, League of Assassins - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2018-09-08 01:51:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 32,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8825491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrownPrincessMoon/pseuds/CrownPrincessMoon
Summary: An alternate universe where Barry ends up in the Leauge of Assassins.





	1. Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [This is Gospel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4051462) by [olivarrys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/olivarrys/pseuds/olivarrys). 



> This idea would not leave me alone, so I decided to write it out of my system. 
> 
> Basically Barry knew Oliver before the Queen's Gambit sunk and Oliver snuck him on board alongside Sara.

Oliver struggles to his feet as thunder and lightning crackles outside the ship.

He almost slips in the sea water quickly filling his room and the door is suddenly kicked open as his dad enters the room.

"Oliver, c'mon! The boat's going down!" He yells.

Oliver can hardly hear him over the ringing in his ears.

What was he talking about?

The boat pitches again and Oliver stumbles forward. His dad catches him and drags him out the room, handing him a life jacket along the way.

Before long he's in a lifeboat with his father and another crew member.

Somehow amidst the chaos and rain, Oliver remembers that they weren't the only ones on the boat.

"Sara!" He screams at his dad, "Where's Sara?"

His father simply gives him a pained look. Oliver's head begins to throb as a series of images flicker beneath his closed eyelids.

A pair of green eyes. The twinkling smile. The way he said Oliver's name when they...

Suddenly it all comes rushing back to him.

"Barry!" He shouts to his dad. "Dad - Barry - and the hull - h-he got ripped away and...,"

His dad pulls him closer. "I am so sorry, Oliver," he whispers.

In an even quieter voice, he adds, "This is all my fault."

Oliver doesn't bother to question his father. Instead, he closes his eyes and tries to shut the world out.

 

_Barry..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason I had Oliver sneak Sara on board was because I still wanted her to end up as an assassin. Just wanted to let you guys know.


	2. Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place before the storm...

Whenever Barry was in the Queen's mansion, he always felt a little bit off.

 

Don't get him wrong.

 

It was a lovely home.

Everything was beautiful and elegant and just plain expensive.

It was also big. Really big. Barry felt like an insignificant ant inside. Every room seemed to be twice the size of his house.

There was, however, a part of the mansion that was his favorite and that was Oliver's room.

Despite it being just as pricey and spacious as the rest of the house, there was a strange homey feeling to it.

Then again, it could have something to do with how much time he spent in Oliver's room.

Which was where he currently was.

 

Barry sat cross-legged on a large sofa doing his calculus homework as he waited for Oliver to come home from Laurel's house.

His _girlfriend_.

As usual, the words caused something unpleasant to rise in Barry's chest.

Before they started doing this weird friends-with-benefits thing, they had already established that they were just playing around. Barry had no right to feel the way he did.

He did, after all, have a crush on his sort-of-foster sister, Iris. He quickly pushed the ugly feelings down.

As if on cue, his phone rang. He checked the caller ID before picking up.

 

"Hey, Iris."

  
"Where are you?" She asked in greeting.

  
"Nice to hear you too." He replied sarcastically. Barry could hear her sigh.

  
"Hi, Barr."

  
"Hello, Iris. How's it going?"

  
"Good. Now, where are you?" She repeated.

  
"Where I always am every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday," Barry chuckled, "Tutoring Oliver."

  
He heard Iris's exasperated sigh over the receiver.

"Right." She said.

  
"What?" Barry asked.

  
"Oh, nothing," she replied airily, " It's just that, you realize he's like, 4 years older than you, right?"

  
"Last time I checked." He teased

  
"Haven't you ever considered - oh, I don't know - quitting?"

  
Barry frowned. " Why would I do that?"

  
"He's dropped out of four Ivy League schools," Iris explained, " Don't you think he's a lost cause? I mean, you started tutoring him like a year ago."

  
"Everyone finds their potential at different times, Iris," Barry replied in a light tone, " It'll eventually click."

  
"And if it doesn't?"

  
"Then he has a billion dollars to fall back on." He joked.

  
Iris's chuckle lightened something inside him.

  
"Well, you're the smartest person I know. I'm sure you'll get something through his thick skull. It's a good thing he's hot."

  
Barry groaned. "Iris..."

"What?" She exclaimed, "He _is_. His arms are like twice the size of yours."

  
"I'm hanging up now." He replied.

  
She laughed. "Bye, Barr!"

"Bye." He said and threw his phone onto the coffee table in front of him.

♞♞♞

After about 15 minutes, Barry heard footsteps out in the hallway. A second later, Oliver walked in and shut the door behind him, locking it.

"Hey, Ollie," Barry greeted.

He studied the billionaire's face when he got only a murmur in reply. His blue eyes looked troubled.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked, concerned. Oliver seemed to visibly compose himself and threw Barry an easy-going smile.

"Of course." He replied as he crossed the room, " Why wouldn't I be?"

Before Barry could answer, Oliver, bent down and kissed the younger man, long and hard.

As usual, Barry's mind went blissfully blank and he tilted his head upward to deepen the kiss.

As whatever they were doing evolved, Oliver maneuvered Barry so that the younger's back was pressed into the sofa and the billionaire was practically on top of him.

He slipped his hands underneath Barry's shirt and danced his fingertips up and down his sides.

Barry shuddered beneath him as he wrapped an arm around Oliver's neck and drew him closer.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Barry knew that Oliver was doing this to distract himself from whatever problem he was having.

Barry wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, but...at the moment he wasn't complaining.

The billionaire planted kisses along his jawline, sliding further down to his neck them his collarbone.

All the while, lithe fingers brushed against the bare skin of his hips. When his hands began to slide even lower, Barry had to interrupt.

 

"S-shouldn't we f-focus on y-your c-c-classwork, t-today?" He stammered.

Oliver stopped his movements and sighed into the younger man's neck.

"Are you actually being serious, right now?"

"Um, yes?" Barry replied, his answer sounding more like a question.

Oliver sighed again and sat up.

He stared down at Barry with a contemplative look until the younger man was squirming beneath his gaze.

"What?" Barry asked.

"Nothing," Oliver answered as a mischievous glint crept into his eye, "I was just thinking about how much fun we had last week _without_ doing any classwork."

He leaned forward until he was an inch away from Barry's face.

"Couldn't we do that again?"

Barry opened his mouth then closed it as he waited for his brain to go online again.

"You're really behind." He finally said, sounding only a little bit out of breath.

Oliver rolled his eyes and, without warning, rolled his hips against Barry's.

The younger man inhaled sharply at the contact and arched back on instinct.

Suddenly, Oliver pulled away and got up.

Barry struggled to regain his bearings as Oliver grabbed a textbook from a nearby bookshelf and walked back over.

He plopped down next to him and handed him the book.

"So, what's today's lesson?" Oliver asked casually like he hasn't been minutes from getting Barry out his pants.

"Um..." Barry replied, coherently. He shook his head to clear his senses and said, " C-calculus, I think."

Barry felt his face burn as Oliver regarded him with a coy smirk. He looked down to avoid his gaze and quickly flipped through the textbook before locating the lesson page.

"Okay," Barry began, clearing his throat, "Calculus is the branch of mathematics that deals with the finding and properties of derivatives and integrals of functions."

He looked up and met a pair of blank blue eyes.

"Calculus finds patterns between equations." He simplified.

Oliver simply shrugged. " I have no idea what you're talking about."

Barry furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to think of a simpler explanation.

"Basically, it's the study of change. Got it?"

"Makes sense," Oliver agreed with a small smirk.

"Great. So now..."

♞♞♞

Something was bothering Oliver.

Barry saw it in the way his eyes grew far away when they weren't speaking and the slight crease between his eyebrows.

Every time he brought it up though, Oliver would quickly change the subject by talking about something stupid that Tommy did or kissing Barry until he could barely

remember his own name.

Barry had a feeling it had something to do with Laurel since Oliver started acting strangely after he visited her. When he asked her sister, Sara, if they had a fight, she shrugged.

"I hope they did," she said with a scowl, "She got me in trouble with our dad."

And Barry wasn't about to touch that topic with a ten-foot pole and left it at that.

About a couple weeks later, Barry was back in the Queen's mansion, sitting on Oliver's bed with the billionaire's head lying on his lap.

He was trying to complete his homework - emphasis on trying - while Oliver absently traced patterns onto his bare ankles. It was distracting, to say the least.

"So, there's this business trip -," Oliver began in a tone that made Barry know immediately that something was up.  
He set aside his homework and stared down at the man lying in his lap.

"What's wrong?"

"What?" Oliver asked, "Nothing!"  
Barry narrowed his eyes. "You've been acting weird. Or at least weirder than usual."

"I'm fine!"

"Sara says you're avoiding Laurel."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "That's none of her business. Or yours."

Barry sighed. For someone who went along with every idiotic idea that popped into his head, Oliver could be quite stubborn when he wanted to be.

He wasn't getting anything out of him, anytime soon.

"So, there's a business trip?" Barry asked, redirecting their conversation back to the previous subject.

Oliver smiled. "Yep. My Dad's taking the Queen's Gambit and I want you to come with me."

Barry raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Do I really need a reason to go on vacation with my favorite nerd?" Oliver asked with a smirk.

"Yes."

"Fine, then," Oliver sighed as he sat up, "Because you, Barry Allen, are one of the few people I can actually stand."

"What about, Tommy?"

"And sleep with. You are one of the few people I can stand and sleep with." Oliver added with a smirk.

"Laurel?"

Oliver scowled, "Do you want to come or not?"

Barry rolled his eyes. "As tempting as you make this whole experience sound, how exactly do you plan on explaining to your parents why you're bringing your tutor on a business trip? Or mine's, for that matter?"

  
Oliver shrugged. "I don't have to tell my parents anything. Neither do you. I'll sneak you on board and we'll be back before they know it."

Barry hesitated. "I'm going to be in so much trouble."

Oliver leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "So that's a yes?"

Barry closed his eyes and groaned.

"I am totally dead."

"I'll take that as a yes."

♞♞♞

An hour before the Queen's Gambit was set to sail, Barry was in his room packing a duffel bag.

15 minutes into it though, Iris burst through the door, took in the duffel bag and Barry's face and simply said, " Explain."

"I'm going on a trip with some friends." He attempted with a weak smile.

"Right..." She rolled her eyes, "Are you going to tell me what's really going on now?"

Barry sighed. "Not now, Iris. It's too complicated. Can't you just cover for me with Joe? Please?"

Iris stared at him hard before giving in with a groan. "Dad's going to kill me."

"Don't worry. He's going to kill me too." Barry said with a smile as he reached over and gave her a quick hug.

"Wherever you're going," she said as she pulled away, "I want a souvenir."

He laughed. "Sure."

♞♞♞

Barry arrived at the meeting place as planned and was surprised to find someone already there.

"Sara?" He exclaimed, confused.

"Oh, hey Barry!" The blonde greeted with a smile.

"Um, hi," he replied with a sideways grin, " What are you..."

His voice trailed off as he noticed her baseball cap and backpack. He connected the dots.

"Oliver invited you, didn't he?"

"Uh, yeah," Sara chewed her lip, "Please don't tell Laurel or my Dad! They think I'm spending the night at a friend's house."

"What about your Mom?"

"She promised to cover for me."

"That's - "

Barry cut off as the sound of footsteps approached them. Oliver appeared and gave them both a grin as he gestured towards the docking station behind him.

"C'mon, let's go! My Dad's busy with some last-minute preparations."

 

As they boarded the ship, Barry paused to ask Oliver about Sara.

"She needed some space from her dad and Laurel, so I offered her a place to clear her head." The billionaire replied with a shrug.

Barry read between the lines and shook his head.

"So basically, you're sleeping with her too?"

"I - no. I just happen to be very good friends with Sara." Oliver explained with a frown.

The younger of the two rolled his eyes.

" _Right_."

 

It didn't take long for the ship to set sail and before Barry knew it he was out in the water, drifting away from Iris and Joe and his dad.

The trip wasn't very eventful.

Barry mostly stayed in his room reading or sleeping, then sneaking out whenever Oliver said the coast was clear.

That being said, with a few people on board and Oliver having the inability to be subtle, it didn't take long for Mr. Queen to find out about Sara and Barry.

He was surprisingly calm about it; telling Sara and Barry to have a good time before giving Oliver a brief look and a sigh.

♞♞♞

There was a small moment when Barry was alone with Sara and he asked her about her relationship with Oliver.

She blushed scarlet then looked away.

"We're just friends."

Barry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead changed the topic.

That was about all the time they spent together. For the rest of the voyage, Sara was holed up in her room. No doubt with Oliver.

Barry wasn't sure what bothered him more: the fact that Oliver was cheating on Laurel with her sister.  
( _And him if he was being honest. Could you cheat on the person you're already cheating with?_ )

  
Or the fact that the billionaire had been ignoring him.

The next night, Barry was out on the deck with a book in his hands when he felt warm arms wrap around him from behind.

"Guess who?" Came a playful voice.

"An idiotic billionaire who's going to get himself killed one day?" Barry replied, irritatedly.

Oliver turned him around to face him and frowned.

"You sound upset. Are you upset?"

Barry scowled. "Of course I'm upset! You convinced me to come on this stupid trip and haven't had a single conversation with me yet."

"So, you're feeling neglected?" Oliver clarified, "Why didn't you just say so? I can take care of that!"

"It's not just that, it's...," Barry trailed off as he tried to find out what was really bothering him.

He sighed when he came up blank.

"I don't know. Just forget I said anything."

Oliver rolled his eyes.

"You think too much, Barr. You know what you need to do?"

"What?"

"Relax."

Barry laughed. "I do relax. By reading."

Oliver shook his head. "See that's where you're going wrong. Reading isn't relaxing."

Barry leaned back on the ship's railings.

"Oh, yeah? Then what is?"

"Massages," Oliver answered immediately, "Massages are very relaxing."

Barry raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to go to the spa and get a massage?" He asked.

Oliver snorted. "Who said anything about a spa?"

 

Without warning, he grabbed Barry and pulled him into a nearby room.

Barry took in his surroundings as Oliver locked the door. The bed was still made and everything was in its place.

"Malcolm Merlyn usually stays here when he and my dad are on business trips," Oliver said, answering his unasked question.

"Malcolm Merlyn? As in Tommy's dad?" Barry replied.

Oliver nodded. "Yep."

"And he's not going to mind us using his room?"

"First of all, he's not here. What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. And second, technically it's my room. This is my boat, after all."

Barry rolled his eyes. "It's your dad's boat."

"It's the family boat." Oliver compromised as he wrapped his arms around Barry's waist and pulled him close.

Barry dropped his book in favor of encircling his arms around Oliver's neck.

"I'm still mad at you, you know." He said with a small frown.

The billionaire simply smirked and leaned forward, sealing the space between their lips.

Barry melted into the kiss, whimpering softly when Oliver took control and deepened it. He pressed his body closer, shuddering at the feel of it all.

Oliver tightened his hold around Barry's waist and lifted him up. On instinct, Barry wrapped his legs around Oliver's torso and slid his hands into his hair, maintaining the kiss.

They moved back towards the bed where Oliver set him down and climbed over him.

The elder pulled away first, tugging on Barry's bottom lip in the process and drawing a gasp from him.

"Take off your shirt." He murmured against Barry's skin.

"Um...Why?" Barry asked, feeling distant and confused.

"So I can give you a massage, silly," Oliver replied as he sat up and stared down at him with piercing blue eyes. Barry flushed from the attention, but tugged off the sweater he had been wearing and tossed it aside.

Oliver's eyes slid down Barry's torso with an almost predatory glow. He traced the angles of Barry's collarbone before sliding a finger down his sternum.

Barry shivered at the touch and closed his eyes.

"You know massages are typically applied to the back, right?" He asked in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, well, I don't like things that are typical," Oliver replied as he traced a circle around Barry's nipple.

"Do you even know what typical means?" Barry asked.

"Nope and I don't care," Oliver replied. He briefly stopped his movements and stared down at Barry.

"But I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyways."

"It means- _uhh_!" Barry groaned as Oliver suddenly leaned forward and bit his nipple.

He released it and swiped his tongue against the nub. Barry inhaled sharply and arched at the contact, panting.

"O-Oliver..." He groaned.

The billionaire pulled away and repeated his actions to the other nipple. Before long, Barry was a flushed, shivering mess beneath Oliver.

Under different circumstances, Barry would have been worrying about whether or not the doors were thick enough or if Oliver's father was outside listening.

Or heavens forbid, _Sara_. ( _That would be hard to explain. Not to mention embarrassing_.)

"Still thinking too much," Oliver said in a sing-song voice.

He flicked one of Barry's already sensitive nipples, making the younger whimper and squirm as he smirked.

"I know the cure for that," Oliver said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He began placing tiny kisses down Barry's sternum moving slowly until he reached his jeans. He unclasped the first button then slid the zipper down with his teeth.

Barry held back a whimper at the sight.

Oliver slid off his jeans and boxers in one swift motion before wrapping his hand around Barry's cock.

Barry groaned aloud and tightened his grip on the sheets.

"Could you come from me just holding you like this?" Oliver mused out loud.

Barry simply panted.

Oliver dragged his hand up and down in a slow, but pleasurable rate. He kept his other hand on Barry's waist, pinning him down to stop him from bucking up into the sensation.

With all of Oliver's previous teasing, it didn't take long for Barry to lose control. He groaned as his mind went blissfully blank.

Oliver climbed back over him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"How do you feel now?" He asked against Barry's mouth.

"Good," Barry replied with a lazy smile.

"That's good because we have to take a shower."

"We?" He repeated.

"Well, duh," Oliver said with a coy smirk, "I still have to make it up to you for neglecting you this entire trip."

He got off of Barry and grabbed the younger's hand as he proceeded to pull him to his feet.

Barry stumbled a little as he stood up, but Oliver caught him with a fond smile.

He brought one hand up to Barry's face, tilting it upwards as he placed another kiss on his lips. Only this one was much more tender and genuine.

 

_Oliver Queen you're going to be the death of me_ , Barry thought.


	3. Sinking

Barry flinched at the flash of lightning outside the window followed by a crash of thunder.

"Oliver - " he began, worried.

Oliver simply pulled him closer and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Relax, Barr. You're fine."

Barry hummed nervously in agreement and buried himself further into Oliver.

After their - _ahem_ \- lengthy shower, Barry had slipped into a white shirt and sweatpants and climbed into bed. Oliver left to check on Sara then came back a couple minutes later to join him.

Oliver absently ran his fingers through Barry's hair, kneading his scalp. He felt his muscles relax and eyes begin to flutter shut.

He could almost forget there was a storm out -

Lightning cracked like a whip followed by an even louder boom of thunder.

Barry shot up out of Oliver's embrace.

"Ollie, that one was really close."

Oliver sighed and also sat up.

"Okay," he said, "How about we turn this into a teaching moment? Ask me something about storms."

Barry hesitated before playing along.

"Okay. Why does lightning always happen before thunder?"

The billionaire furrowed his brows.

"Umm...Something to do with Global Warming?" He finally answered.

Barry closed his eyes and sighed. "You're never going to graduate, are you?"

" _Hey_!"

Another crackle of lightning.

"Was that two or three seconds?" Barry asked, gazing nervously at the brewing storm outside the window.

Oliver got up and drew the curtains, hiding the scene.

"You know that's not very scientific," Oliver said with a raised eyebrow as he climbed back into the bed.

Barry rolled his eyes.

"And what would you know about science, Mr. Four-time-Ivy-League-dropout?"

"I happen to know a lot about science," Oliver replied with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mmhh," Oliver said as he leaned closer to Barry, "I know biology. Anatomy."

He maneuvered Barry onto his back and crawled over him. "Sexual Education is a personal favorite of mine."

Barry's laugh was quickly silenced by a pair of warm lips. As they kissed, Oliver ran his hands up and down Barry's arms, soothing him.

He pulled away and murmured against Barry's lips, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."  
Barry felt a goofy smile spread across his face.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" He said without thinking.

Oliver grew still above him for a beat before he leaned down and placed a short chaste kiss on his lips.

"Barry, I don't -" he began to say at the same time the ship suddenly rocked sharply to the right.

 

The pair fell off the bed and tumbled to the floor.

The ship surged again and Barry slid across the room. He grabbed the metal leg of the bed at the same time the wall behind him was torn away, exposing the raging storm outside.

Barry only has enough time to meet Oliver's panicked eyes and scream his name once before the storm swallows him whole.

♞♞♞

The Queen's Gambit. His father's suicide. Sara. _Barry_.

A couple days after the universe had decided to wreck his life completely, Oliver peers over the rim of the raft and watches as an island comes slowly into view.

_A fighting chance_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just curious, how many of you think Barry should still be a speedster.  
> Let me know in the comments below! : )


	4. Struck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of writing in a way that shows you guys Oliver and Barry's past as well as the current storyline. Let me know what you think!

Barry struggled to keep his head above water as another wave crashed over him.

He looked in vain for the Queen's Gambit, but it was impossible to see almost anything in the blinding rain.

A huge piece of driftwood floated past him and he grabbed it.

At the same time, lightning lit up the night sky and revealed an image that made Barry sick to his stomach.

He watched in horror as the Queen's Gambit sank beneath the choppy waves.

" _No_ ," he breathed, unable to bring himself to scream.

Barry shivered as an emptiness began to fill his chest.

The crew members. Robert Queen. Sara. _Oliver_.

All of them gone.

Barry closed his eyes and laid his head on the driftwood as the waves continued to carry him. He couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

Not even when lightning crackled above him and touched down on the water, spreading out in a wave of pure energy.

The electricity washed over Barry, energizing and immobilizing him at the same time.

He dimly registered the fact that his grip on the driftwood was slipping.

As his body shut down, Barry's mind was yanked into the past...

♚♚♚  
1 Year Ago  
♚♚♚

"Barry, I'd like you to meet Moira Queen. Mrs. Queen, Barry Allen. This school most outstanding student," Miss Shane, the principal, said as she ushered Barry into her office and closed the door.

"Umm, hi?" He said as he held out his hand. Mrs. Queen gave him a tight-lipped, but genuine smile.

"Mr. Allen," she replied as she shook his hand.

He looked back at his principal. "Am I in trouble or something?" He asked, warily.

He could find no reason for why the wealthiest woman in Starling City was at his high school.

"No, of course not," Miss Shane replied with a smile, "Mrs. Queen just wanted to speak with you."

Barry glanced at the blonde.

"Oh. Um, okay."

"I'll be out there if you need me." Miss Shane said as she gave him a comforting smile before exiting.

Mrs. Queen gestured towards the sofa in the room.

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Allen."

He did and she sat across from him in a chair.

"Are you familiar with my son, Oliver Queen?" She asked.

Barry hesitated before answering.

_Obviously_ , he had heard about Oliver Queen.

Who hadn't?

The billionaire playboy was always in the news.

Whether it be him attacking a paparazzi or getting drunk and doing something stupid. _Like_ attacking the paparazzi.

"I've...heard of him." He finally said.

Moira gave him a strained smile. "Then I'm sure you've heard about his, ahem, reputation?"

He nodded. "Yeah..."

"As many people probably know, Oliver is the heir to Queen's Consolidated, so one day the company will belong to him. I would like my son to graduate from at least one year of college before he even attempts to run the family business."

"Only one year?" Barry had to ask.

"Oliver is...easily distracted," was Moira's vague response.

"Where do I come in?" Barry asked.

"I need someone to tutor Oliver. His last tutor quit."

"Why?"

Moira's face became slightly uncomfortable. "Personal reasons."

" _Okay_ , then," he said, drawing out the word, "Why me?"

She looked at him with cool blue eyes. "I conducted a survey of sorts with all the high schools and colleges in both Central and Starling City. You had one of the highest GPA's in the area as well as many other achievements."

"You went through all that trouble to find a tutor?" Barry asked, surprised.

"No," she said, eyes twinkling, " I went through all that trouble for my son."

"Oh," he replied softly, "That's...nice of you."

Barry clamped down on the familiar pain that rose up in his chest and cleared his throat, sending away the image of his mother which has appeared in his head.

"You were saying before?"

She gave him a strangely sympathetic look before continuing.

"You only have to come in Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. And I'll pay you $75 an hour."  
"Wow." He finally settled on.

She smiled. "Not only will that count towards Community Service hours, I'll also even throw in a recommendation letter to any college or university you want to go to. I can be very persuasive when I want to be."

Her blue eyes hardened for a fraction of a second before returning back to normal.

Barry was having trouble finding reasons to refuse.

"OK." He finally agreed.

Moira smiled. "Good. You start next week."

They both stood up and Moira held out her hand.

"It was nice meeting you," Barry said as he shook her hand.

"The pleasure was all mine," she smiled, " Thank you, Mr. Allen."

♚♚♚  
Later that day...  
♚♚♚

"Mom, are you kidding me?" Oliver asked after getting over his initial shock of finding his mother in his room.

She sat on his sofa with a pile of textbooks in her lap.

"I got you another tutor." She said, getting straight to the point.

He let out a groan of exasperation and slouched down against the wall.

"I thought we've already established that I'm not a school person. Or a studying person. Or a textbook person. Or a -,"

"I get it, Oliver." His mother interrupted fondly.

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards despite his annoyance with her. "My point being: I don't see why I need an education. I mean, I already have a job in place for me."

His tone turned slightly playful then, "That is unless Dad plans on giving Thea the company, in which case eliminates the need for me to get a college degree even more."

Moira's voice took on a pleading tone.

 

"I'm only asking for one year from you, Oliver. If it doesn't work out, your father and I will get off your case."

Oliver snorted. "What do you mean by, _your father and I_? From what I've seen, you're the only one trying to get me to become the next Albert Einstein."

Moira sighed. "Fine, then. _I'll_ get off of your case," she regarded him with hopeful eyes, "So is that a deal? You'll try to complete a year's worth of schoolwork?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I'm going to regret saying this, but yes. I'll try to complete a year of college. Happy now?"

His mother stood up and gave him her patented business smile.

"Ecstatic," she replied, placing his new textbooks on his bookshelf.

"So, who's my new tutor?" He asked, walking over to the now unoccupied sofa and sprawling out on it,

"Did you get Samantha back?"

His mother snorted. "After what happened last time? I'd be surprised if she answered any of my calls."

Oliver closed his eyes. "Why did she quit again?"

He heard the click of his mother's heels as she approached him.

"Honestly, Oliver? You know why."

He racked his brain and came back blank. "I literally have no idea what you're talking about." He responded.

"How could you not remember? You were there for goodness sakes." His mother continued with a disbelieving tone.

"Wait a minute. Was she the girl I took to the racetrack and fu-"

"I don't need the details, Oliver." Moira interrupted and Oliver opened his eyes to find her staring down at him in what appeared to be a disappointment.

"What?" He asked.

"You need to start realizing that your actions have consequences, Oliver.

"What?!" He asked again.

The conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

She sighed and shook her head.

"Nevermind. Your new tutor is Bartholomew Henry Allen. He's a high school senior."

Oliver looked his mother incredulously.

"So not only did you get me a tutor, but you got me one still in _high school_? And with a weird name?"

Moira gave him a stern look.

"Mr. Allen is one of the smartest students among all the Startling and Central City high schools. He has a genius-level intellect which is surprising considering..."

Moira's voice trailed off.

"Considering what?" Oliver asked.

She shook her head and continued,

"Considering how young he is. That's all."

Oliver narrowed his eyes. His mother had obviously been planning to say something else.

_Bartholomew Henry Allen_.

The name tickled something in Oliver's memory. He shook his head to clear it.

"Does he have a nickname? 'Cause there is no way I'm going to call him Mr. Bartholomew or something other."

His mother, who already had one foot out his door, paused and sighed before answering. She seemed to do that a lot lately.

"He calls himself Barry. Barry Allen."

♚♚♚  
Present  
♚♚♚

Somewhere in the North China Sea, an unconscious young man washed up on the shore of one the islands of Lian Yu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Barry become a speedster or some dude just hit by lightning? Find out in the next chapter! ; )  
> (A certain dark-haired assassin may appear as well...)


	5. Nyssa

Nyssa peered out the window of the helicopter and studied the sparkling water below.

"Beautiful, isn't?" The pilot asked as he turned and flipped some of the controls on the dashboard.

She turned and gave him a fake smile.

"Very."

Nyssa looked back out the window and allowed herself a minute to admire the beauty of the waves and tides.

She rarely got the opportunity to appreciate the scenery around her in her line of work.

"We're approaching one of the islands of Lian Yu, ma'am." The pilot announced.

Minute over.

Nyssa looked forward and sure enough, the jagged outline of a large land mass was coming into view.

"What did you and your friends say you were again?"

"Photographers." She answered and gestured towards one of her ' _friends_ ' sitting behind her.

"He's carrying our equipment." She continued.

The pilot nodded and pulled a couple more switches as they began to descend.

The landing was a bit shaky but good enough.

Nyssa pulled off her headphones as the pilot opened his door and jumped out.

A second later, her door opened as well. She ignored the pilot's outstretched hand and slid out gracefully, landing on her feet.

"So, how long do you plan on staying here?" the pilot asked, "Not that I mind or anything, but my price will rise every hour and..."

Nyssa ignored the pilot's rambling and unzipped the black bag one of her guards had brought.

She pulled out a black bow as well as a quiver filled with red and black fledged arrows.

"Uh, ma'am? Wh-What are you doing with those? I don't think...,"

"Finish him." She said to her guards as she slid on her quiver and began walking away from the helicopter.

Nyssa heard the sound of swords being drawn and a scream that was quickly silenced. She didn't bother to turn around.

♚♚♚

Nyssa tried to find some guilt or regret for what she had done but came up empty.

She was becoming more like her father every day.

The thought made her feel...what exactly?

She shook her head to clear the thought.

Speaking of her father...

Ra's al Ghul had told her to come to Lian Yu in search of the " _Light_ ".

Nyssa had long since gotten used to her father's use of vague riddles and prophecies, having grown up with them, but that didn't make them any easier to understand.

The "Light" could be anything.

From a medallion of some sort to a stone that reflected the sun's rays.

 

She walked along the shore, careful to observe all her surroundings.

Nyssa stopped suddenly as she stared at what she assumed to be a corpse lying a couple feet ahead of her.

Nevertheless, she notched her bow and approached it slowly.

Once she was a considerable safe distance from it, she observed the unfortunate soul.

It was a young man, not much older than 18 really, with matted chestnut hair and skin that was tanned from lying in the sun.

His shirt was blackened, seared almost, and his sweatpants were tattered and ripped.

  
Nyssa was estimating the time of death when the young man suddenly inhaled.

Almost immediately, she had an arrow pointed at his throat as she waited for him to wake up.

He didn't.

She cautiously lowered her weapon and crouched down next to him.

Just as her fingers brushed the pulse point of his neck, a spark flew from his skin, shocking her.

Nyssa pulled away quickly and studied her fingers before glancing at the young man.

Light.

She tried again, pressing two fingers to his neck and awaiting the accompanying jolt. When it didn't come, she focused on his pulse.

It took Nyssa a second to recognize the steady thrumming beneath her fingers was the stranger's heart.

It was beating fast. Too fast.

She looked at the young man's face for any signs of discomfort, but none showed.

This was unnatural.

Nyssa heard her guards approach from behind her as she stood up.

"Heir is he-," one of the guards began.

"He's alive," she interrupted, "Carry him back to the helicopter. That's where we'll set up camp. I will decide what to do with him."

♚♚♚

Nyssa stared at the young man lying on the makeshift bed her men had created.

The campsite had not taken long to build. The island was abundant in resources and assassins were trained to survive in any environment.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked the guard who specialized in healing.

"He seems to be in a coma of some kind. He's not responding to anything."

Nyssa fought the urge to roll her eyes.

_Really_? She hadn't noticed.

Instead, she asked, "And his heart?"

The guard hesitated before answering.

"I'm not sure, Heir. But there is something you should see."

He pulled the cover off the stranger revealing his back.

Nyssa frowned as she studied the spidery scars dancing across the young man's back.

"Were these...inflicted?" She asked, slowly.

The guard shook his head. "There doesn't seem to be any signs of previous scabbing or tenderness."

She crouched down and touched one of the scars. Once again, a gold light flew from his skin and she yanked her hand back.

She narrowed her eyes in thought as she studied the man.

"Heir?" She heard the guard ask, "What- ?"

"Make sure he's ready to travel tomorrow," Nyssa interrupted as she came to a decision, "We're bringing him to Nanda Parbat."

"What about Ra's al Gh-?"

She silenced him with a cold look.

 

" _I_ am Heir to the Demon, am I not?"

 

The guard bowed his head, mumbling apologies that she ignored.

Nyssa watched as the young man stirred in his sleep and murmured something along the lines of " _Queen_..."

Her gaze was drawn back to his scars.

Who - or _what_ \- had her father asked her to find?

 

She watched as another golden light sparked off his skin.

Like lightning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to update this. School is torture! I also apologize for the short chapter. I'll try to lengthen the next one.  
> Anyways...  
> Bye!


	6. Tutor

After tutoring Oliver for about three weeks, Barry was already considering quitting.

He now understood what Moira meant when she said Oliver was " _easily distracted_ ".

The billionaire was constantly going off on irrelevant tangents that had nothing to do with the lesson and texting when he was supposed to be doing classwork.

And that was on a good day.

Barry looked up from the textbook he had been reading aloud from and narrowed his eyes at the older man sitting across from him.

"I can't help, but get the feeling that you're not listening to me." He said as he closed the cover.

"What makes you say that?" Oliver asked, glancing up briefly at his phone.

"Because you're not listening to me," Barry replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Can you blame me?" Oliver questioned as he placed his feet on the coffee table in front of him.

Barry eyed them. He doubted Moira would be pleased with her son placing his sneakers on what was probably a $500 table.

"I mean," Oliver continued, "You sound like one of the stuffy science professors from those Ivy League schools I used to go to."

Barry frowned. He wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult.

"Would you prefer me speaking to you like you were a pre-schooler?" Barry countered, careful to keep the mocking tone out of his voice.

Despite what he thought of Oliver, his mother was technically his employer, not to mention married to the CEO of the largest company in Starling.

It would do him good in the future to respect him.

He must've not done a good job of hiding his scorn, though, because Oliver narrowed his eyes at him.

"Aren't you like, four years younger than me?" He asked with an affected lightness. Barry glared at him.

"Aren't you like four years older than me?" Barry replied.

Before Oliver could snap back, his phone gave a chirp and lit up. As he studied the screen, a smile made a way onto his face.

"I suppose this is the part of our study session where you leave to go to a party, right?" Barry asked wearily.

He had long since gotten used to the billionaire's antics. Oliver stood up and grabbed a pair of car keys off the dining table, flashing Barry a bright grin.

"You've got it, Professor!"

"Let yourself out when you're done," Oliver called to him, as he disappeared around a corner.

The door slammed shut and a second later he heard an engine startup.

Barry sighed and proceeded to finish up his own homework as well as a Progress Report for Moira.

He was considering writing a letter of resignation when the front door opened then closed.

A second later, a young girl with long brown hair walked into the living room. She stopped and looked at Barry in confusion, before lightning up.

" _Ooohh_ , you must be Barry! My mom said that you'd be here tutoring Oliver. I'm Thea, by the way. Oliver's sister."

Barry didn't see much resemblance between the siblings and assumed that Thea took after her father.

"Hey." He said in greeting.

"Is Ollie almost done? He promised he would have a movie night with me tonight. He forgot about the last one and said he would make it up to me."

Thea spoke quickly and with so much child-like enthusiasm that it took Barry a second to process her words.

"Thea, Oliver's not...here," he said gently, "He left half an hour ago."

Thea's face fell.

"Maybe he forgot?" He said, trying to make her feel better.

She shook her head, slowly.  
"No. I told him this morning and before I left for horse riding lessons."

Her saddened tone suddenly hardened.

"God, he's always doing stuff like this. Blowing me off for parties or Laurel."

Thea stomped over to the couch across from Barry and plopped herself on it.

Barry didn't know why he said what he said next.

Maybe it was because Thea looked so sad and angry at her brother.

Barry would hate seeing Iris look at him that way.

"Actually, Oliver didn't go to a party."

Thea raised an eyebrow at him.

"He told me he was going to help one of his friends with something."

"Oh," Thea said, "Really?"

Barry nodded. "Yep."

She tilted her head at him. "Was it Tommy?"

He hesitated for a beat before answering. "He didn't say."

Thea nodded. She didn't look as angry as before, but sadness still lingered in her features.

"Would you like me to have a movie night with you?" He asked.

Thea regarded him with hopeful brown eyes.

"Would you?" She asked.

Barry nodded and gave her a smile.

"Of course!"

Thea lit up immediately.

"Okay! But first, let me show you around the house. Mom said that's part of being a good host."

He let Thea take his hand and lead him into the main hall where a large staircase branched off into two directions.

"C'mon!" She said.

Thea guided him through every room of the house, with the exception of her parent's and Oliver's room.

Along the way, she introduced Barry to the staff. They all nodded and smiled politely at Thea and him.

When Barry was thoroughly confused about the Queen's mansion, Thea led him back downstairs and into a living room with a large, flat screen television.

"I'll go ask Rose to make us some popcorn," Thea said, bouncing with excitement.

She came back moments later with two large buckets of popcorn along with a maid who carried some glasses of soda.

She handed one to Barry while Thea sat down next to him.

"Thanks, Rose!" Thea exclaimed.

The maid, Rose, smiled fondly at the youngest Queen before turning around and leaving.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Thea asked.

"What do you and Oliver usually watch?" He asked instead.

Thea shrugged as she scrolled through the list of movies.

"Something stupid and not age appropriate for an 11-year-old."

Barry raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed.

"Not that it mattered. Ollie would tell the dumbest and corniest jokes. We barely watched the movie."

She smiled as she spoke and Barry found himself wondering how the selfish billionaire he worked with could also be the kind, older brother that Thea described.

"How old are you?" She asked suddenly, taking a sharp conversation turn.

Barry blinked in surprise. "Um...17."

Thea gave him a slight tilt of her head.

"Huh. Ollie's 21."

Before Barry could formulate a response to that Thea asked another question

"Are you going to quit soon?"

Barry's mind jumped to the resignation letter he had been planning to write.

"I'm not sure yet." He said slowly.

"Oh. Usually, Oliver's tutors quit around the third week."

_Could you blame them?,_  Barry thought.

Thea was still talking, "Well, except for Samantha. She lasted longer than the others before she quit."

Again with this Samantha girl.

"I'd like to help your brother," Barry said, "But he doesn't listen very well."

Like at all.

Thea shrugged, before giving a sly smile.

"You wanna know a secret?"

He smiled. "Sure."

"Ollie only pretends to be the dumb, billionaire, bad boy. I've seen him get A's and B's before. He just doesn't show Mom or Dad."

Barry blinked in surprise.

"Why?"

Thea shrugged. "You wanna watch the _Lorax_?"

"Uh, sure."

 

Barry filed what Thea had told him in the Oliver Queen section of his brain.

( _And the fact that he even had a section like that in his brain showed how messed up his life had gotten in a span of 3 weeks_.)

About 45 minutes later, the front door opened and hushed adult voices filtered through the air.

Moira, and who Barry assumed to be Robert, walked into the living room where Barry was gathering his things.

Thea had fallen asleep on the couch and Barry had asked Rose for a blanket to cover her.

"Barry, right?" Robert asked with a pleasant smile.

"Umm, yes sir."

Robert waved a hand. "Please, call me Robert."

He went over to Thea and scooped her into his arms. Up close, Barry could now see that Thea did not resemble her father at all. _Huh_.

"Where's Oliver?" Robert asked.

Barry hesitated. "Oliver left about an hour ago."

Robert and Moira exchanged looks and Barry could see them having a whole conversation with their eyes.

Moira finally sighed.

Robert gave Barry a tired smile. "It was nice to meet you, son."

He left with Thea and Barry turned to Moira who was rubbing her forehead.

"Where did Oliver go?" She asked.

Barry briefly considered lying but decided against it.

"He went to a party."

Moira sighed again. "Of course he did."

"Um, I kind of told Thea that Oliver was out helping a friend."

Moira gave him a confused look and he hurried to explain.

"She was pretty upset when she realized Oliver wasn't coming."

Moira gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

He hoisted his backpack.

"I guess I'll see Oliver Monday, then?" Barry said.

Moira looked slightly shocked but nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said as she led him to the door, "For Oliver's behavior. I would like to say that he doesn't normally act like this, but..."

"It's fine." Barry insisted.

"You know, by now Oliver's tutor would have already quit."

She peered at him. "Please don't think you have an obligation to me. I'll still write the letters of recommendation. You can quit if you want."

Barry considered it. Not only would he still get the recommendations, he would also be free of Oliver.

Then he remembered what Thea said and changed his mind.

"I think I'll keep trying," Barry said, "Oliver's got...potential."

Moira gave him a smile and Barry left with a plan formulating in his head.

♚♚♚

The next morning, Oliver stumbled into the dining room where his family was eating breakfast.

He had arrived back home at 3 in the morning.

Oliver didn't miss the disappointed looks that his parents sent his way. He sat in front of Thea, who gave him a small smile

"How's your friend?" Thea asked and Oliver looked at her curiously.

"What are you talking about?"

His mother cleared her throat,

"Barry told Thea that the reason you weren't at her Movie Night was that you were out helping a friend."

_Barry said that?_

Judging by his mother's pointed look, she obviously knew the truth, but Thea didn't.

"Umm...Yeah," Oliver said, playing off the lie, "Tommy got a flat tire and he called me."

Thea nodded in understanding and Oliver felt compelled to hug his little sister.

Instead, he settled for giving her a crooked smile. "I promise I'll find a way to make it up to you for missing another Movie Night."

Thea looked skeptical but nodded anyway.

"Okay." She said with a small smile. While Thea told him about her schedule that day, his mother and father spoke quietly among themselves.

Every once in awhile they would glance at Oliver.

Finally, his dad stood up and checked his watch.

"C'mon on, Speedy! We don't want you to be late for the bus."

Thea rose from the table and grabbed the backpack near her feet.

"Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, dear." Their mother responded with a smile.

"Oh and Ollie! The next time we have Movie Night, do you think Barry could join? He's really nice!"

Oliver blinked, blindsided by the news.

"Um, sure. If he wants to."

Thea grinned. " Great! Bye!"

Their dad kissed their mom's cheek and ruffled Oliver's hair on his way out with Thea.

After the two of them left, Oliver turned to his mother.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked.

She shook her head. " Not mad. Just...disappointed."

That was even worse.

"Why did Barry cover for me? He doesn't even like me."

His mother shrugged. "I think that he's just that kind of person."

"Or he wants something in return."

She frowned at the concept. "Maybe. You can ask him when he comes back next week."

Oliver blinked in surprise.

"He-he's coming back? He didn't quit?"

"Nope," his mother said as she rose from the table and gathered her plate.

"He thinks you have potential." She added with a smile before exiting the room.

Oliver slouched in his chair with a scowl.

The only way for his mother to get off his back with the college degrees and education was if he actually did the program or if Barry quit.

And he had no intention of completing the program.

If he wanted Barry to quit he would need back-up.

As if on cue his phone began to ring. Oliver checked the caller ID before answering with a smile.

 

"Hey, Tommy. I need your help with something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's time to speed things up in the next chapter...  
> ; )


	7. Plagiarism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ!!!!

It has been brought to my attention that someone has been posting this story on Fanfiction.net under a different username. Normally I would not care if my work was being used, but this person has neglected to ask for my permission or cite where this work originated from.  
I would appreciate if whoever did this took down the work or at least asked for my permission before continuing to post my work.  
Honestly?  
I don't know what else to say.  
I work really hard to come up with these chapters and it's difficult to find time to write and edit on a daily basis. It's not fair that whoever did this can just copy and paste my work without taking any effort.

For those of you who came expecting a new chapter, I apologize. I am working on the next couple chapters. I'm going to wait though for the story posted on Fanfiction.net to be taken down or for the person responsible to apologize before posting any new chapters.

Thank you so much guys!! Love ya!


	8. Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys!!  
> If you read the previous chapter then you you know that someone had plagiarized my work and posted it without my permission. Thankfully the problem has been solved!!  
> I'd like to thank Fanfiction.net for their speedy work in taking down the plagiarized work as well as all the supportive comments you guys sent me!  
> I would like to especially thank FYI (You know who you are☺) for bringing the issue to my attention in the first place!  
> Thank you so much!!
> 
> Also guys, if you plan on using my work please ask for my permission!  
> I promise I won't bite

" Don't forget that. Ever."

Barry woke up gasping and panting, every cell in his body energized.  
Whoever was in the room with him, jumped as if startled.  
" Wha-?" Barry began, confused.  
Before Barry could ask what was going on, the hooded figure disappeared out the door barking out words in...Arabic?  
Barry laid back down and tried to steady his breathing. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened.  
He was on the ship with Oliver and then...  
Nothing. Barry couldn't remember anything after that.  
He sat back up and looked around the room. It wasn't current, that's for sure.  
There was a strange medieval feel to it with curtains draped from the bed posts and elaborate, designs etched into the furniture.  
It was actually quite beautiful.  
Barry could almost hear Oliver's voice in his ear.  
Only you would become a sap over furniture, Barr.  
Barry began to smile at the memory then stopped and frowned.  
Where was Oliver?  
As if cued by this thought a man dressed in dark robes walked in. Barry felt his heart lighten a little before realizing the man wasn't Oliver but the stranger who was in the room before. He had someone with him. The mystery guest wore similar robes, but his/her's were black and red and seemed a bit more...special. Like they were meant to represent something. There was also a dagger at his/her side. Barry took this fact in with caution.  
The stranger pulled down the cloth covering his/her mouth while pulling off the hood as well, revealing a young woman with dark hair and beautiful, but foreign, features.  
Barry stared at her and she stared at him, face unreadable. When the silence became to uncomfortable he said, " Um, hi."  
His voice came out scratchy and hoarse. The woman turned to the man beside her. " Bring him a glass of water." She commanded. Her voice had a lilting accent. The man disappeared from the room and the woman turned her attention back to Barry.  
The younger man grew uncomfortable and found his eyes drawn to the dagger to the woman's waist.  
What could she possibly be using such a weapon for?  
The dark-robed man reappeared and handed Barry a glass of cool water.  
He smiled his thanks and downed the drink. When he finished the woman gave the man a wave of her hand. He took the glass from Barry and left quickly, closing the door behind him. Barry almost called out for him to stay. He didn't want to stay in a room with a woman who was armed and possibly dangerous.  
She walked slowly to the side of the bed like a predator stalking her prey. As she drew nearer Barry felt his body tense unintentionally.  
The woman noticed this and she stopped her movements, staying a good foot away from the bed.  
" What are you?" The woman asked, suddenly.  
Barry was so surprised by the woman's voice that he almost didn't process her question.  
Almost.  
" What am-? I'm human?" Barry responded, confused.  
She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.  
" You do not sound sure."  
" I'm human." He said firmly this time.  
The woman didn't look quite convinced.  
" What are-? I mean, who are you?" Barry asked before she could say anything.  
She looked at him.  
" Who are you?" She countered.  
He crossed his arms and glared at her. Two could play this game.  
The woman looked briefly surprised then amused.  
" You are not as weak as you appear." She said.  
" Uhhh....thanks?" Barry replied, not quite sure how to feel about that.  
She gave a slight nod of her head. " My name is Nyssa al Ghul. Heir to the Demon."  
Barry blinked at her title.  
" Oh, um, my name is Barry. Barry Allen." He said after she looked at him expectantly.  
" What does that mean?" He asked.  
" What?"  
" Heir to the Demon."  
Nyssa gave Barry the first smile he had seen since waking up.  
It was equal parts cold, frightening, and sad.  
" It means exactly what it means."

♚♚♚

" Where am I?" Barry asked when the uncomfortable silence in the room threatened to engulf them again.  
Nyssa regarded him with dark eyes.  
" My home."  
Barry frowned.  
" Okay, then. Where is your home?"  
Nyssa said nothing.  
Barry sighed in frustration.  
" Fine! Why am I in your home?"  
" You were hurt," Nyssa answered unexpectedly, " In a coma, more specifically."  
Barry felt himself go cold.  
" For how long?" He asked quietly.  
" From the time we found you? About 9 months."  
9 months?  
God...  
How had Iris and Joe been?  
" What happened to me?" He asked.  
Nyssa shrugged. " I was hoping you could tell me. My men and I found you on an island unconscious. I assumed you were the survivor of a shipwreck."  
Shipwreck.  
The word conjured images of a boat listing sharply to the right and lightning crackling. Blue eyes meeting his own before he lost his grip and...  
" I c-can't remember what happened." He said, more to himself than Nyssa.  
He looked up and met the woman's dark eyes.  
" Did you find someone else on the island with me?" Barry asked hopefully.  
Nyssa shook her head slowly. " My men and I only found you."  
Barry felt his shoulders sag.  
" Do you think there could be survivors other than me?"  
" Like Oliver Queen?" Nyssa asked with a raised eyebrow.  
Barry grew rigid. " How-?"  
" You talk in your sleep, Mr. Allen." Nyssa said, amusement lining her voice.  
Barry hesitated before re-asking his previous question.  
" Do you think there are other survivors?"  
Nyssa said nothing for the longest time and Barry felt himself grow restless.  
When she finally did speak again she didn't answer his question.  
" You should rest Mr. Allen. I think you need some time to process things."  
Barry felt his anger flare.  
" I've been asleep for 9 months! I've had enough rest!"  
Even as the words left his lips, Barry felt himself become suddenly drowsy.  
He laid back down on his pillow and the last thing he saw before falling asleep was Nyssa staring down at him with a conflicted expression.

♚♚♚

Nyssa looked down at the young man, laying in the bed. His chest rose and fell steadily, quite unlike the past few weeks when his body would suddenly begin to shake violently or worse yet, go completely still. Still, Nyssa felt slightly guilty for drugging Barry, but she had a feeling it would come in handy and it did.  
The young man seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his eyes were flickering unsteadily between gold and green hues. While Nyssa didn't quite know what that meant yet, she did know one thing.  
Barry was not human. Not anymore.


	9. Sneak Peek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update. I just have a lot going on! Anyways, here's a sneak peek of the next chapter!
> 
> * Mind you, this is a rough draft and things are subject to change.
> 
> : )

" So, for how long do you plan on keeping me prisoner here?" Barry asked Nyssa as she walked into his room carrying a platter of food.  
She raised an eyebrow.  
" You are not a prisoner. You are a patient and a guest."  
Barry snorted. " Doesn't feel like it."  
" You're being kept here for your own safety."  
" Safety from what?" Barry asked.  
Nyssa didn't answer and instead placed the platter on the nightstand beside him. She then took a seat at the foot of his bed and stared at him.  
Barry sighed and rolled his eyes. He had long since learned that prying answers out of Nyssa was as hard keeping Oliver focused during his lessons.  
Barry ignored the sharp pain the thought brought about and picked up a silver spoon, twirling it between his fingers.  
" Can you at least tell me how long I've been in here? It feels like months since I've woken up."  
The corner of Nyssa's lip quirked upward for the smallest second before her face became impassive again.  
" You've been in this room for 1 week, Barry."   
He snorted.  
" Still feels like forever. The least you can do is offer me a change of surroundings. Maybe a house plant?"  
Nyssa said nothing.


	10. Nanda Parbat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!  
> Hope you enjoy!!  
> : )

" So, for how long do you plan on keeping me prisoner here?" Barry asked Nyssa as she walked into his room carrying a platter of food.  
She raised an eyebrow.  
" You are not a prisoner. You are a patient and a guest."  
Barry snorted. " Doesn't feel like it."  
" You're being kept here for your own safety."  
" Safety from what?" Barry asked.  
Nyssa didn't answer and instead placed the platter on the nightstand beside him. She then took a seat at the foot of his bed and stared at him.  
Barry sighed and rolled his eyes. He had long since learned that prying answers out of Nyssa was as hard keeping Oliver focused during his lessons.  
Barry ignored the sharp pain the thought brought about and picked up a silver spoon, twirling it between his fingers.  
" Can you at least tell me how long I've been in here? It feels like months since I've woken up."  
The corner of Nyssa's lip quirked upward for the smallest second before her face became impassive again.  
" You've been in this room for 1 week, Barry."   
He snorted. " Still feels like forever. The least you can do is offer me a change of surroundings. Maybe a house plant?"  
Nyssa said nothing.

♚♚♚

After some considerable wearing down on Barry's part, Nyssa finally told him something that wasn't related to his imprisonment. Or clinical observation, as Nyssa liked to call it.  
They agreed to disagree.  
" So you mean to tell me that you're apart of some sort of cult that trains people to kill other people?"  
Nyssa rolled her eyes.  
" The League is not a cult, Barry. It's a way of life."  
" Right, because that's not creepy at all," Barry muttered under his breath.  
Nyssa gave Barry a harsh look which he ignored.  
"Can you let me out of this room now? Please?"  
Nyssa's face remained impassive, but Barry could see the indecision in her eyes. He quickly pressed the matter.  
" I'm mean it's like you said. This place is crawling with assassins. I'm smart enough to know that the odds are not in my favor."  
Nyssa continued to hesitate.  
"And," Barry added, "Think of it like you're giving me a tour. There's honestly nowhere for me to go."  
The assassin finally relented with a sigh. "Fine. But stay close and don't touch anything."  
Barry beamed.

♚♚♚  
From what Barry could gather from examining the walls around him, Nanda Parbat was built into the side of a mountain or something of that sort. All around there were cloaked figures armed with daggers, arrows, and other medieval weaponry. Wherever Nyssa passed, the assassins stopped whatever they were doing a bowed in her direction. Nyssa barely acknowledged them. And by barely, Barry met never. He reminded himself to ask her about that. Nyssa finally led him into a cavern-like room that was dimly lit with torches. Hanging on one of the walls was an assortment of weapons. Ignoring Nyssa's earlier instructions, Barry walked over to where the swords hung. He reached for one that was long and slim as well as slightly curved. Barry twirled the hilt around his fingers a few times enjoying the effortless feel of it.  
" That's a katana." Nyssa said as she approached him.  
She pulled a sword out as well.  
" Would you like to spar?" She asked starting towards the center of the room.  
Barry glanced warily at her.  
"An aspiring scientist against a trained assassin? I don't think so," He snorted.  
Nyssa shrugged. "I could always escort you back to your room."  
Barry sighed and approached Nyssa.  
As unsure of this as he was, he would rather risk being skewered than spend another minute in his room.  
"You'll go easy on me, right?"  
Nyssa gave him a predatory smile. That was his only warning before she struck. Barry lifted his sword just in time to block her own. She struck again and Barry jumped back, stumbling a bit. Nyssa was fast and planted a kick in the center of his chest. Barry fell to the ground and Nyssa appeared above him with a smirk. "Get up." She ordered.  
Scowling, Barry got up and grabbed his fallen sword. Almost instantly Nyssa was upon him. He barely blocked her sword strike and almost had his throat slit. This time he went on the offensive and slashed his katana forward. Nyssa leaped back, looking momentarily surprised before charging again. When she was about a foot away, she dropped to the ground and swept his feet out from underneath him.   
He fell with a grunt while Nyssa gracefully flipped onto her feet.  
She pointed her sword at his neck.  
"Get up."  
Barry glared at her, but got up.

♚♚♚

Barry wasn't sure how long their "sparring" lasted. If he could even call it that. Barry would last only 3 minutes -5 at the most- before Nyssa was knocking him onto his back.  
After the fifth or seventh time, Barry decided to call it quits.  
Nyssa's lips twisted. "A real warrior does not call quits."  
Barry scowled at her through his panting.  
Nyssa wasn't even out of breath.  
"Yeah, well I'm not a warrior. And neither are you." He reminded her.  
Nyssa's expression darkened.  
Without warning, she strode towards him and lifted her sword before slashing it down towards him.  
Suddenly, Barry felt his adrenaline spike and everything around him seemed to slow considerably. He batted Nyssa's blade away and grabbed his own, pointing it at her exposed neck.  
Time suddenly sped up again and Nyssa gaped at him, her sword falling to the stone floor with a clatter.  
"How...?"  
Whatever she had been planning to ask was cut off by someone’s clapping.  
Barry whirled around and saw a man wearing robes that were similar in appearance to Nyssa's.   
"Father." Nyssa said in a slightly surprised tone.  
Father?, Barry thought.   
Out of nowhere, Barry remembered how Nyssa introduced herself.  
Heir to the Demon.   
The man, the Demon, smiled at Barry.  
"Hello. I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting."


	11. Tommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is long enough for all the time you guys spent without a new chapter!!
> 
> Enjoy!!

"What do you mean he hasn't quit yet?" Tommy asked as he plopped himself down in the armchair across from Oliver.  
"Do you insult him?" He asked.  
"Yep."  
" Ignore him when he's talking?"  
"All the time."  
" Leave lessons before they're over?"  
"Even when I don't have a legitimate reason."  
Tommy let out a low whistle.  
"Wow. We're dealing with one tough nerd, aren't we?"  
" Yep," Oliver replied as he tossed Tommy a manilla folder, " That's his file."  
His best friend raised an eyebrow at him.  
"And why do you have this on hand?"  
Oliver scowled. "Don't give me that look. My mom has an entire desk drawer dedicated to potential tutors."  
Tommy shrugged as he opened the folder.  
"Doesn't make it any less creepy."  
He picked up the first sheet in the stack and let out a low whistle.  
"You know this Barry kid isn't bad looking."  
Oliver rolled his eyes as Tommy turned the picture towards him.  
Barry had been caught mid-laugh in a park-like setting. The photo had been taken at an angle that brought out the hazel lights in Barry's sparkling green eyes. Oliver was many things, but he wasn't a liar. Well, most of the time he wasn't. Even he could admit that Barry was attractive. Of course it was an annoying, smug, know-it-all kind of attractiveness, but attractiveness nonetheless.  
" Focus," he reprimanded his best friend, " I need you thinking with your head."  
" Who said I wasn't?" Tommy shot back with a wink and Oliver rolled his eyes.  
He snatched Barry's picture out of Tommy's hand, ignoring the sound of discontent.  
" So what does his file say?"  
Tommy sighed and began to read.  
" His full name is Bartholomew Henry Allen and he is 17-years-old."  
Oliver nodded and made a speed up gesture with his hands.  
Tommy rolled his eyes, but continued.  
" He has a GPA average of 4.0 as well as a bunch of service hours. He won some National Science Fair or something and placed 3rd in the World Wide Science Fair. He also-"  
Oliver groaned aloud, interrupting him.  
" Just stop. None of this is useful."  
Tommy shrugged and tossed the file into the coffee table in front of him.  
" You know what he told my mom?" Oliver asked.  
" What?"  
" He said I have potential."  
Tommy wrinkled his nose.  
" What's that supposed to mean?"  
Oliver shrugged. " Hell, if I know."  
That sat in silence for a while before Tommy suddenly shot up from his chair with a grin.  
" I've got it!"  
Oliver found himself sitting up straight.  
" What?!" He asked, equally excited.  
Tommy snapped his fingers and pointed at him.  
" We need to pull a Samantha Clayton."  
Oliver raised an eyebrow.  
" I'm not getting him pregnant." He deadpanned.  
Tommy shook his head.  
" Hear me out! All you have to do is make him think you like him then, BAM, crush his heart or shut him down. He quits; your Mom lets you off the hook. Problem solved."  
Tommy plopped back into his chair with a smug grin.  
" Sooo," Oliver said slowly, " You want me to seduce a 17-year-old? A minor?"  
Tommy frowned. "No. I mean, yes. I mean, he's turning 18 in two months."  
" So a minor." Oliver clarified with a roll of his eyes.  
He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and rubbed.  
" Gosh, Tommy, are you trying to get me arrested?!"  
" You've been arrested before." Tommy pointed out.  
" Not for something as serious as seducing a minor!"  
Tommy rolled his eyes.  
" You're not going to do anything. Just toy around with him a bit and I mean that in the most least sexual way as possible."  
Oliver mulled the plan over in his head.  
It wasn't like he was doing anything, like Tommy said. He was only messing with his...emotions.  
That alone was enough to make Oliver feel a tug of guilt.  
" I'll tell you what," Oliver said, " I'll make my decision after Barry leaves tonight. Then I'll let you know whether or not Operation: Make Him Quit is underway or not."  
" Cool," Tommy replied, " Meanwhile, I'll come up with a better operation name. Yours sucks."  
Oliver rolled his eyes and picked up Barry's picture.  
He was crazy for even considering this plan...  
Right? 

♚♚♚

" Okay, so what is Histamine?" Barry asked looking down at the textbook.  
" A chemical in the immune system?" Oliver replied cautiously.  
Barry nodded slowly.  
" And...?" He pressed.  
" It regulates physiology in the gut and acts as a neurotransmitter." Oliver finished with a confident grin.  
Barry looked up with probably the first real smile he had ever given Oliver since he began tutoring him  
" That's correct!"  
" Don't sound so surprised, " Oliver said with a smirk, " I'm smart when I want to be."  
Barry shrugged, looking back down at his book.  
" I'm actually starting to believe that."

♚♚♚

A couple minutes later, Barry glanced up at the wall clock then back at Oliver.  
" What?" The billionaire asked when he finally noticed his gaze.  
" Don't you have a...party to go to?" Barry asked in confusion.  
Oliver shook his head.  
"Nope. I'm all yours tonight."  
He threw Barry the devilish smile that was known to make women and men alike, swoon.  
Barry snorted.  
" Lucky me." He drawled sarcastically before returning to grading Oliver's papers.  
Oliver pouted.  
" Oh, c'mon! Aren't you glad I'm here? What happened to all that 'potential' talk you told my mom last week."  
Barry marked something on the paper in front of him, not responding.  
Oliver tsked in annoyance.  
Barry was so hard to figure out.  
When he wasn't paying attention, he couldn't shut the kid up.  
When he was paying attention, Barry seemed more than content to keep quiet for longer periods of time.  
Oliver got up and leaned close to Barry's face, glancing down at his upside-down paper.  
" So do I have an A or...?"  
Barry looked up and Oliver met his emerald eyes for a second before the nerd jerked backwards, previously unaware of the billionaire's proximity.  
" Haven't you heard of personal space?" Barry asked with a scowl.  
Oliver shrugged.  
" Not many people want to get away from me."  
Barry scoffed.  
" I find that hard to believe."  
Oliver raised an eyebrow.  
" If you could quit right now, would you?" He asked.  
Barry looked up and this time held Oliver's gaze.  
" Nope."  
" Why?" Oliver asked, " Because I have potential?"  
He resisted the urge to put air quotes around the word.  
Barry shook his head slowly, green eyes searching for something in Oliver's.  
" Yes, but I have my own reasons too."  
Oliver rolled his eyes. Way to sound cryptic.  
" Personally, I think you won't quit because of how good-looking I am." Oliver said, relaxing the serious atmosphere around them.  
Barry surprised him by sending him a smirk.  
" Maybe."  
Oliver gave his devilish smile another try and this time he detected the faintest pink tinting Barry's cheeks before he looked back down at his papers and ordered Oliver to work on something else.  
Interesting. 

♚♚♚

INCOMING TEXT: 

TOMMY: What do you think of Operation: Sparks? Too cheesy?


	12. Ra's al Ghul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been so long since I last updated!  
> I hope to have much more time to work on this story now that it's Summer Break!!!  
> Hope you enjoy!!!

In all honesty, Barry was terrified of Nyssa's father.  
Although the man hadn't done anything to make him feel that way, he couldn't help but feel a sliver of unease when the man looked his way.  
After all, the man was called the Head of the Demon, for a reason.  
After their impromptu sparring session, Nyssa had given Barry full leave from his room. When he asked her if she was afraid he'd escape, she shrugged.   
" I've told you before, Barry. You're not a prisoner. You are free to do what you wish."  
He has looked hard at her.  
" Why do I feel like I'm missing some catch here?"  
Nyssa shrugged, face remaining blank even as her eyes sparkled.

Now Barry knew why Nyssa was so confident that he wouldn't leave.  
Nanda Parbat was like a maze with a series of tunnels that often left Barry helplessly confused. Once in a while, though, Barry would stumble upon a window that looked out onto a mountain-like environment. The only way he saw of leaving was through aerial transportation.  
He really was trapped.

♚♚♚

About 5 weeks after he'd woken up, Barry found himself wondering the tunnels again. He pushed open a mahogany door revealing a dinner table filled with food. Seated near the end was Ra's al Ghul and Nyssa. They paused mid-conversation when they noticed Barry.  
He felt himself blush.  
"Uh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."  
He started to close the door, but Ra's al Ghul shook his head.  
"Please, Bartholomew. Join my daughter and me."  
Barry hesitated. " I really shouldn't..."  
"Please, " Ra's al Ghul persisted, "I insist."  
Barry wondered if he was imagining the undertone of a threat in those three words.  
Barry glanced at Nyssa who's dark eyes flashed a warning before turning impassive again.  
Barry nodded and entered the room.  
He sat on a pillow next to Nyssa who gave him a brief nod.  
He obviously made the right choice.   
"I imagine you have many questions." Ra's al Ghul said as he stirred the contents of his plate.  
"Uhh, yes actually," Barry said.  
Ra's al Ghul smiled. "And all shall be answered soon, but first I'd like to offer you a proposition."  
Out of the corner of his eye, Barry saw Nyssa tense.  
"Wh-what would t-that b-be?" He asked, his unease bringing out the stutter in his voice.  
"A position in the League."   
Barry blinked before letting out a nervous laugh. "You're kidding me, right?"  
Ra's al Ghul raised an eyebrow.  
Nyssa nudged him with her elbow and shook her head ever so slightly.  
Barry flushed. "I-I mean, t-that's very k-kind of you, but I'm not assassin material."  
Ra's laughed. "People aren't born 'assassin material'. They only have the potential to be and you Bartholemew have that potential."  
Barry frowned and looked down at his lap.  
The obvious answer was no. He had to get back to Central City. To Iris and Joe and his dad.   
He had to know if Sara and Mr. Queen survived.   
If Oliver was alive.  
"C-can I think about it?" He asked.  
Ra's al Gul nodded slowly. "Of course. Take all the time you need."  
"May I be excused?" Barry asked, happy when he didn't stutter.  
Ra's al Ghul nodded again and Barry got up and started towards the door.  
Before pushing it open, he turned back towards the table.  
"What happens if I say no?"   
Ra's al Ghul stared at him hard before answering. "There'll be no reason for you to stay. You've already recovered. You would go home."  
Barry's breath hitched at the sound of that. 

Home.

****************************************************************************

As soon as the door closed behind Barry and his footsteps faded, Nyssa turned to her father.  
"Are you really going to send him home?"  
Ra's al Ghul shrugged, wiping his mouth with a cloth napkin.  
"Perhaps. Though I doubt I'll have to."  
Nyssa narrowed her eyes. "Oh? Did you miss his reaction, Father? He wants to leave."  
Ra's al Ghul smirked. "The only reason Mr. Allen wants to go home is because he thinks there is something to go home to. We have to remind him that there isn't."  
"And how do you plan to do that, Father?"  
Ra's al Ghul tilted his head to the side as if in thought.  
"There are candles made from the wax of Salvia flowers," He finally answered, "They're said to enhance the lobe of the brain that contains memories. Barry needs to remember what really happened that night."  
Nyssa frowned. "And if he still refuses to join? What then?"  
Ra's al Ghul didn't answer, but the dark glint in his eye told Nyssa everything she needed to know.  
Barry was never leaving.

********************************************************************************

Barry sat up in his bed when someone knocked on the door.  
"Come in," he called.  
Nyssa walked in with two white cylinders in hand. "Hello."  
"Hey," he replied, "What are those?"  
"Candles," she replied and set them down on his nightstand.  
"Okay," Barry said, drawing out the word, "What are they for?"  
"Meditating," Nyssa answered as she pulled out a match.  
She swiped it against the stone wall, lighting a flame, before setting the candles on fire.  
"I figured that you have a lot to think about and it would be beneficial to have a clear head to do it."  
"Oh," Barry blinked, "Thank you,"  
Nyssa shook her head. "Don't think too much of it."  
She got onto his bed, crossing her legs beneath her. Barry mirrored her form.  
"Close your eyes," Nyssa ordered, "And clear your mind."   
Barry did as she asked.  
"Take deep breaths. In and out."  
As Barry went through the routine he felt himself detach from his body.  
When he opened his eyes, he was in standing in a familiar bedroom.  
"What the...?" his voice trailed off.

"Relax, Barr," A familiar voice said, "Your fine."  
Barry turned around, eyes widening when he saw Oliver lying on the bed with....him?  
Lightning crackled outside the window and Barry flinched.   
At the same time, the Barry on the bed shot up and looked at the window nervously.  
"Ollie that one was really close."  
This is a memory, Barry realized suddenly.  
He watched with a tight throat as his past self and Oliver bantered back and forth.   
"Have I mentioned how much I loved you?" His past self asked with a giggle.  
Barry looked away, eyes filling with tears as what happened next happened.  
"I lov-," he heard Oliver begin before the boat pitched sharply.   
Barry forced himself to look as the pair fell onto the floor. Not a second later, a hole was ripped into the hull and Past Barry was ripped away, screaming Oliver's name.  
Suddenly, instead of watching the past play out, Barry was the one being thrown into the freezing water.  
Barry struggled to keep his head above water as another wave crashed over top of him. He looked in vain for the Queen's Gambit, but it was impossible to see almost anything in the blinding rain. A huge piece of driftwood floated past him and he grabbed it. At the same time, lightning lit up the night sky and revealed an image that made Barry sick to his stomach. He watched in horror as the Queen's Gambit sank beneath the choppy waves.  
" No," he breathed, unable to bring himself to scream.   
Barry shivered as an emptiness began to fill his chest.  
The crew members. Robert Queen. Sara. Oliver.  
All of them gone.  
Barry closed his eyes and laid his head on the driftwood as the waves continued to carry him. He couldn't bring himself to care anymore. Not even when lightning crackled above him and touched down on the water, spreading out in a wave of pure energy.

Barry's eyes flew open and he gasped for breath.  
"Barry? Barry are you okay?"   
He dimly registered the concern in Nyssa's voice as he scrambled to regain his bearings.  
The Queen's Gambit was gone. Oliver was gone.  
Barry curled into himself as pain racked his body.   
Gone.  
He felt the bed rise slightly as Nyssa slid off the bed. Blankets were pulled on top of him. Two quick puffs indicated that Nyssa was blowing out the candles.  
"Good night, Barry." He heard her say as the door creaked open.  
Barry sobbed quietly, shoulders shaking.  
"I'm sorry," Nyssa whispered as she closed the door.

Gone.

***********************************************************************************  
3 days later, Barry was sparring with Nyssa in the same room they were in previously.  
"You're getting better," Nyssa said as she held her hand out.  
Barry grabbed it and rose to his feet. "What makes you say that? I'm still falling on my butt, aren't I?"  
"Yes, but at least now you don't squeal every time I get near you," Nyssa replied with the slightest twitch of her lips.  
Barry rolled her eyes. "I do not squeal. I am a man."  
"Barely," Nyssa said, backing away until there was a considerable distance between them.  
"I'm 18."   
"Like I said: barely."  
Barry rolled his eyes again and held up his sword.  
"Let's go again."  
Nyssa regarded him with slight concern. "Are you sure you're okay, Barry?"   
He winced internally but plastered a fake smile on his face. "I'm fine. Promise"  
Nyssa didn't seem quite convinced, but she nodded anyways.   
She had been kind enough not to question Barry about his sudden appearance from his room or the red rimming his eyes. Something Barry was grateful for.  
Just as Nyssa shifted her stance, the door opened up and Ra's al Ghul glided in.  
"Father," Nyssa greeted with a stiff bow.  
Barry followed her lead.  
The older man nodded at his daughter then turned his full attention onto Barry.  
"Bartholemew, it's good to see you out of your room."  
Barry rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Thank you."  
"Have you made your decision considering my proposition?"  
Barr hesitated before nodding.   
"And what is it?"  
"I t-think it would be best if I stayed here," Barry answered, "I'm not ready to go back home yet."  
Ra's al Ghul smiled. "Just as I thought. The League welcomes you, Bartholemew."  
"Thank you."  
"Your first lesson will be harnessing your power."  
"Power?" Barry repeated, confused.  
Without warning, Ra's al Ghul reached into his sleeve and pulled out a dagger, flicking at him.  
Barry inhaled sharply as the world around him came to a complete stop.  
No...  
Not a stop...Just slowed down.  
Nyssa's face was slowly contorting into an expression of suprise and the dagger was spinning in slow motion towards his heart.   
He plucked it out of the air and time sped up again.  
"What was that?"  
Ra's al Ghul smiled. "Power."


	13. Colors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this new chapter!!
> 
> (Think of it as an apology for taking so long to update!)
> 
> :)

"Barry, what's your favorite color?"  
His tutor looked up from the beaker of water on the heat plate and raised an eyebrow.  
"Corn starch."  
"Corn starch?" Oliver repeated, "That's not a color."  
"No, but I need the corn starch. Could you give it to me, please?"  
Oliver rolled his eyes and handed Barry the yellow container.  
"What's your favorite color?" He repeated.  
"Why does it matter?" Barry countered as he spooned the powder into the beaker.  
"Why don't you tell me?"  
Barry gave him an exasperated look. "You should really be paying attention. You're going to be re-doing this lab on your own."  
Oliver waved away the younger man's concern.  
"I'll be fine."  
Barry gave him a skeptical look.  
"What happened to all that 'I have potential' talk three weeks ago?" Oliver asked with a small pout.  
Barry gave him a deadpan look. "It was three weeks ago."   
He held out a metal stirring rod. "Stir."  
Oliver rolled his eyes and took the rod, doing as he was told.  
As he stirred, Barry took notes on a metal clipboard.

 

Oliver had tried to get on Barry's good side. He really had.  
Enough so that the younger man could at least consider the possibility of a relationship, if not develop a crush. It was proving harder than what Oliver originally believed it would be. Whatever brief connection they had made weeks ago was now gone.   
It was hard to flirt with someone with the personality of a teacher.  
If Oliver didn't know better, he'd almost say that he was losing his touch.  
Almost.

 

"Red," Barry said suddenly.  
Oliver looked up in confusion. "What?"  
The other man flushed, avoiding his gaze. "You had asked. Red is my favorite color."  
A slow smile spread across Oliver's face. "Cool. Mine's green."  
Barry raised an eyebrow. "Red and green. We make quite the pair."  
Oliver smirked. At least now Barry was responding to his advances.  
"Why is red your favorite color?" He asked, expecting a complicated reason involving some scientist or scientific discovery.  
Barry blushed and looked away, lips pursing together.  
"My mother," he finally said, "It was the color of her hair."  
"Was?" Oliver asked, "Did she dye it a new color?"  
A pained look passed over Barry's features. "No, she...she died."  
Oliver paused in his stirring, the smile slipping off his face.  
"Oh. I'm sorry."  
Barry grimaced. "No, it's okay. I m-mean, it's not okay. It's just..."  
His voice trailed off and he cleared his throat.  
"Why's green your favorite color?" He asked, obviously changing the subject.  
Oliver decided to roll with it, sending Barry a smirk.  
"It depends."  
Barry raised an eyebrow, "On what?"   
"Whether or not you'll punch me."  
The younger man looked amused. "Try me."  
"I used to like it because it was the color of Thea's favorite gemstone: the emerald,"   
"That's sweet! Why used to?" Barry asked.  
"Because then I realized that there was an even prettier shade of green in the world,"  
"Oh? What then?"  
Oliver leaned as close to Barry as the kitchen countertop would allow.  
"Your eyes," He said with a grin.  
Barry stared at him hard before giving a snort and looking down at his clipboard.  
"You're ridiculous."  
Oliver shrugged, standing straight again.  
"Maybe,"  
Barry walked around the countertop and turned the dial on the heat plate.  
"Keep stirring," He ordered.  
"Yes, sir!" Oliver drawled sarcastically, moving his hand once more.  
"What's your favorite food?" The young billionaire asked after a moment of silence.  
Barry looked away from the beaker and narrowed his eyes.  
"Why do you want to know?"  
"So, I can steal your identity," Oliver deadpanned with a roll of his eyes, "Why so suspicious?"  
"Sorry. I don't usually play 20 questions with billionaires."   
"Maybe I just want to get to know you better," Oliver said.  
"Yes, but why?" Barry asked, seemingly exasperated.  
"We're stuck together for 10 more months or until you decide to quit, which you've already made very clear that you wouldn't. Might as well become friends, right?"  
Barry tilted his head to the side as if considering his words.  
"Pizza," He finally said.  
Oliver grinned. "Which toppings?"  
"Cheese, jalapenos, and olives. You?"  
"Hawaiian."  
"Starling or Central pizza?" Barry asked.  
"Starling," Oliver answered immediately.  
The younger man made an expression of disgust. "Starling's pizza is disgusting."  
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Like Central's is any better!"  
"It is!" Barry said indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"I have to disagree," Oliver said calmly, adopting an air of superiority. "Starling City pizza has and will always be the best pizza within a 1000 mile radius."  
Barry rolled his eyes. "Sure. Do have any evidence to back up your claim?"  
"Why don't you come over Friday and I'll prove it?"  
"Why Friday?"  
"Thea's having another one of her Movie Nights," Oliver explained.  
Barry frowned, looking away. "I don't want to intrude. That seems like an only-siblings event,"  
"Don't worry about it," Oliver reassured, "If I didn't invite you, Thea probably would have. She likes you."  
Barry snorted. "Why do you sound so surprised? I am a very likable person."  
Oliver rolled his eyes. Sure.  
The sound of hissing cut off any reply he had been planning.  
"Shoot," Barry exclaimed when he noticed the mixture from the beaker bubbling over.  
He reached for the glass, seemingly forgetting the fact that it had been on the heat plate for at least 30 minutes.  
Barry yelped, yanking his hand away.   
In the process, the beaker fell over onto the countertop. Thankfully, it slowed to a stop before it reached the edge. Oliver unplugged the heat plate and approached Barry who was cradling his hand.  
"Are you okay?" He asked, struggling and failing to hide his laughter.  
Barry glared at him, face flushed red.   
"Don't you dare."  
Oliver cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. Let me see your hand."  
Without waiting for his reply, he took Barry's hand and studied it.  
Only the tips of his fingers seemed to be hurt, all of them a faint red in color.  
"You're fine," Oliver assured.  
"Doesn't make it sting any less," Barry grumbled.  
Without thinking, Oliver brought Barry's fingers to his lips, placing a small kiss on the tips of all the affected areas.  
Barry inhaled sharply, but instead of pulling away he seemed to lean closer.  
"What...?" He asked, voice slightly breathless.  
"My mom used to do that when Thea and I got hurt," Oliver explained, "Are you okay now?"  
Barry's face glowed red as he yanked his hand away. "I'm f-fine. Let's j-just c-clean this u-up."  
Oliver raised an eyebrow at the new stutter in the younger man's voice.  
"Sure," He said slowly.  
When Barry turned away to look for washcloths, Oliver let a slow smile grow across his face.

**********************************************************************

Later that night as Barry laid in bed, the image of Oliver kissing his fingers sent a jolt through his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to fight his body's response to the memory.

Damn it.

***********************************************************************

INCOMING TEXT:

TOMMY: So, how'd it go today?

OLLIE: I think this plan might work... Phase 2 starts this Friday.

TOMMY: What about that date you have planned with Laurel?

OLLIE: Oh, shit! 

TOMMY: Don't worry, man! I've got you covered! Go work your magic!

TOMMY: But not too much! We don't need another Samantha Clayton Incident.

OLLIE: You're an idiot. You know that, right?


	14. Harness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!!

"So, you're saying that me getting struck by lighting is what gave me these abilities?" Barry asked incredulously.  
Ra's al Ghul nodded. "Other forces come into play as well."  
"Like a Speed Force?" Barry asked, jokingly.  
Ra's al Ghul gave him a serious look. "Yes."  
Barry stopped smiling and looked at Nyssa to see if her father was joking.  
A minute shake of her head gave him the answer he expected.  
Nope.  
"Anyways," Barry cleared his throat, "What are we doing out here?"  
The trio was currently outside the Nanda Parbat fortress in what seemed to be one of the outdoor training areas.   
"We're here to test your limits."  
He gestured towards the runway-like path lined with dark stones.  
"Cool," Barry breathed and walked up to the white line of chalk.  
He crouched down in a runner's position.  
"I do, however, stress restraint, Bartholemew. We have all the time in the world to discover your full potential."  
"Whenever you're ready," Nyssa said.  
Barry closed his eyes, tapping into the buzz of energy just beneath his skin.  
He welcomed the electricity, embraced it.  
And then he was off.  
The feeling was breathtaking, to say the least.   
The wind ripped through his hair and every step shot another burst of energy throughout his body. He felt like a whole new person.   
No. Scratch that. He felt inhuman.  
And he loved it.   
He ran until the world around him was a blur and he slipped into his memories.

♚♚♚

Barry was always running when he was younger. Whether it be to catch a bus or escape from bullies.   
"My little speedster," his mom would say to him, brushing his hair away from his face with a warm smile as she tended to his lip.  
The memory flickered and suddenly Barry found himself witnessing another moment of his past.  
Red and yellow lightning circling his mother as she cried out to him.  
"Barry!"  
The sudden image of his mother made Barry lose focus and he stumbled. He jerked to a violent stop and slammed into a wooden post.  
He fell to the ground, cradling his right hand.  
Damn it.

♚♚♚

"What happened out there?" Nyssa asked as she unwrapped his bandaged hand. "You were doing so well."  
Barry shrugged, looking away. "I got distracted."  
Nyssa gave him a look that said she didn't believe him, but she didn't press for answers.  
A small crease appeared on her forehead as she studied his hand.  
"What?" He asked.  
"Your...Your hand,"  
"Is there something wrong? Was it set incorrectly?"  
Nyssa shook her head, looking baffled. " No, it's- it's healed."  
"Healed?" Barry repeated  
He pulled his hand away from her and made a fist before releasing it.  
No pain. His hand was good as new.  
"It's only been a few hours."  
"Three to be exact," Nyssa confirmed.  
"This is a good thing, right?" He asked, jumping off of the stone slab he'd been sitting on. "We can go back to the track!"  
Nyssa stepped in front of him, halting him in his tracks.  
"How about some sword fighting instead? Becoming an assassin is more than just being quick on your feet."  
Barry resisted the urge to pout.  
"But...!"  
"Unless you wish to tell me what caused you to lose focus?" Nyssa added, raising an arched eyebrow.  
Barry scowled and pushed pass her. "Sword fighting it is."


	15. Lessons

"The first lesson of sword fighting is to assess your surroundings," Nyssa said as her boots clicked around Barry.   
"Right," Barry said slowly, "And how do you figure I'll do that blindfolded?"   
"A true assassin does not rely on sight alone to fight. You have other senses, do you not? You also have your powers. Use that to your advantage."   
"I can't exactly use my speed if I don't know where I'm going," Barry pointed out, "Oh, and can I also point out that I don't know how to sword fight either?!"   
"Yes, you do," Nyssa said, voice much closer than before.   
It made Barry jump slightly and he scowled in her direction.   
"No, I don't,"   
"And what of the sparring matches we've been having these past several weeks? Have you learned nothing?"   
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't count! I was knocked to my ass like 75% of the time."   
Barry had a strong feeling that Nyssa was rolling her eyes.   
"You'll be fine, Barry."   
He heard her walk away.   
Then there was silence.   
Barry tried to listen for the sound of a footstep or something of the sort.   
He heard a soft whistling noise and a second later something sharp sliced his arm.   
" Ow! What the hell, Nyssa?"   
"Be happy that it merely cut you instead of embedding in your flesh."   
"Or you could - I don't know - Not throw sharp objects at me!" Barry snapped.   
Nyssa made a clicking sound.   
"Again, Barry."   
He made an annoyed sigh and raised his sword again. 

**************** 

About an hour and 17 arrows later, Barry seemed to be on the verge of quitting.   
Nyssa could see him grow increasingly frustrated with every arrow that cut him to the point that he was no longer focusing but swinging blindly.   
After the 18th arrow sliced his leg, Barry growled.   
"That's it!"   
He ripped his blindfold away and threw his sword down as he looked down at his bleeding leg.   
Nyssa held a hand out as she approached Barry, telling the assassins perched over them to stand down.   
"You should be happy you heal quickly," She said, "Otherwise you would have begun to bleed to death."   
"I know from experience," She added when he looked up at her.   
"I'm sure," Barry said, rolling his eyes.   
"Something's bothering you," Nyssa said. It wasn't a question.   
The speedster avoided her gaze.   
"When you were running," She continued, "Something made you lose focus. What was it?"   
Barry let out a long-suffering sigh and crossed his arms, looking down at his feet.   
When it began to seem like he wasn't going to answer her, Nyssa turned around.   
"My...mom," Barry suddenly said, making Nyssa pause in her steps.   
"She was...murdered when I was eleven."   
Nyssa turned to face him again.   
"I am sorry for that," She said, "Truly,"   
Barry grimaced. "Yeah, well. When I was running, I saw her again. On the night she died, more specifically."   
"You were there?"   
Barry didn't answer immediately, but Nyssa could see the pain flickering in his eyes.   
"I think that someone like me killed my mom," Barry finally said.   
Nyssa slowly raised an eyebrow. "You believe that there are others like yourself?"   
Barry ducked his head, looking both embarrassed and hopeful.   
"Do you think there's a possibility?" He asked.   
Nyssa blinked. "If I'm being honest, I don't think I've ever seen or met anyone quite like you,"   
"Oh," Barry said, looking dejected.   
"But," Nyssa continued, "Maybe I'm wrong. The world is full of the impossible. You more than anyone should know that. Perhaps one day you will find your mother's killer and you'll make them pay for what they've done, "   
Barry stared at her, eyes suspiciously bright.   
Nyssa stiffened as he suddenly enveloped her in a warm hug.   
If anyone else would've done that to her she would have had no qualms about gutting them. But with Barry, it was...different. Even with his clothes on she could feel the thrum of electricity running beneath his skin. It was strangely comforting.   
The hug lasted for about 10 seconds before Barry pulled away, laughing nervously.   
"You're not going to kill me now, are you?" He asked, scratching the back of his head.   
Nyssa shook her head slowly. "No...It was just new to me. That's all,"   
She cleared her throat when Barry gave her a pitying look.   
"Let's get back to work, shall we? Are you up for round two?"   
Barry nodded bending down and picking up his sword and blindfold. He wrapped the dark fabric around his eyes and Nyssa checked for any cracks.   
As she backed away, she raised a hand once more and the assassins perched above them drew their bows and aimed at Barry.   
She nodded to the nearest assassin and he released his arrow.   
There was a crackling of electricity and suddenly the arrow was being sliced in half.   
"Did I get it?" Barry asked with barely contained excitement.   
Nyssa felt her lips quirk, but she immediately schooled her expression.   
"Again," She said. 

*********************** 

For some strange reason Barry couldn't understand, telling Nyssa about his mother had lightened something inside him. When he put the blindfold back on, he tapped into the reservoir of energy inside him. Almost immediately his other senses were heightened. He could hear the slight shift of someone's foot and the creak of something being pulled. A second later, a soft whistling cut through the air.   
Barry sped around and sliced the arrow out of the air.   
"Did I get?" He had asked with barely suppressed excitement.   
"Again," Nyssa said.   
Barry grinned as he proceeded to block every projectile being sent towards him. The sword in his hand began to feel like an extension of his arm and he moved it effortlessly.   
When the arrows stopped coming, he heard the soft sounds of people dropping to their feet and swords being drawn.   
"Uh, Nyssa?" He asked.   
"A final test Barry. Use what you've learned."   
No sooner had she said that Barry heard a swoosh noise cut through the air and he held out his sword. There was a metallic clang. Barry moved quickly kicking the assassin in what he assumed to be the stomach. As the assailant stumbled backward Barry brought the hilt of his sword over their head and a crumpling noise signified to him that the assassin had been knocked out.   
He quickly located the fallen assassin's sword and brandished it against the others.   
"Let's do this," He breathed. 

********* 

Nyssa watched as Barry skillfully maneuvered the two katanas in his hand as he sparred with the assassins surrounding him. With every strike, yellow lightning sparked off of him.   
"He does well," A voice said from behind.   
Careful training had allowed Nyssa to not react when her father suddenly appeared.   
She couldn't, however, control the slight tensing of her shoulders.   
"Yes," She agreed, "He has much potential,"   
Barry incapacitated two more assassins before going up against the remaining three.   
"I will aid you in training him," Ra's al Ghul announced suddenly.   
Nyssa looked at her father. "You will?"   
"Of course," he said, "Barry Allen is a weapon in the making. A weapon that should only be controlled by the Head of the Demon and his Heir,"   
Nyssa frowned slightly, acknowledging her discomfort for a second.   
"You speak as if he is not human," She noticed.   
"He isn't," Ra's al Ghul said.   
The two watched silently as Barry finished off the last assassin.   
When he realized no one else was attacking him he pulled off his blindfold and gave a blinding smile.   
"The Demon will control the light," Ra's al Ghul seemed to muse to himself before approaching Barry.   
That's what I'm afraid of, Nyssa thought as she walked behind him.


	16. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!!

With each lesson, Barry grew more and more skilled. He learned how to speak Arabic (which involved lots of eye-rolling from Nyssa) as well as a multitude of other languages. He was taught how to use weapons ranging from bo staffs to daggers to even forks (that had been...interesting to learn).   
Learning how to melt into the shadows and move even quieter than one involved being locked in a dark room with targets that he had to take out.   
His favorite lessons were those in the medical ward where he learned how to set broken bones and sew bloody gashes. He also helped determine the causes of death among the fallen assassins.  
"You are concerningly good at this," Nyssa said after he pulled a white sheet over a corpse.  
"I was actually going to school to become a CSI," Barry said as he pulled his gloves off and washed his hands in a water bowl, "Back in Cental City,"   
At the mention of his old home, he felt his smile began to fade.  
Nyssa, noticing the sudden change in his demeanor, nudged his shoulder.  
"How about we do some Speed Training?" She suggested.  
Barry's smile was back full force.  
"Okay!"

♚♚♚

Running was the one thing that Barry would never tire from, no matter how long he did it. He loved the feeling of electricity crackling over his skin and the energy it gave him. He loved being able to run so fast that he broke the sound barrier.  
He lived for the feeling.  
It was everything and more.  
He skidded to a stop in front of Nyssa with a wide smile.  
"How was that?"  
She looked up from what looked to be a technologically advanced watch.  
"You were fast," She said.  
"How fast?" Barry pressed.  
The corner of her lip curved upward as she rolled her eyes.  
"Fast."  
"Why don't you give me numbers?" He asked with a whine.  
"And make your ego grow even more? I do not think so,"  
Barry made an expression of exaggerated shock.  
"I, Bartholomew Henry Allen, do not have an ego!"  
"Sure you don't," Nyssa said with a smirk.  
Barry grinned at her.  
Over the past several months Nyssa had become more than just a coincidental companion. She was his friend and even though Nyssa would probably deny it until her dying breath, he had a feeling that she cared for him too.  
She was an amazing teacher, both gentle and strict. He enjoyed being taught by her, even if some of the lessons were a little tedious.  
Ra's al Ghul, on the other hand, was a whole other story.  
The Head of the Demon was a dizzying combination of cruel and fatherly;  
harshly criticizing and reassuring at the same time.  
With Nyssa, he was allowed to make mistakes. With Ra's, failure wasn't an option and he made sure Barry knew it.   
"Again," He ordered after the assassin had knocked Barry to the ground.  
He flipped back onto his feet and charged his partner. Something else about Ra's al Ghul was that he expected Barry to win his sparring matches without speed.  
"Assassins do not need or have crutches. Your speed may not always be there when you need it," He had said when Barry questioned him.  
Now, Barry fought with an assassin who seemed to be on the verge of winning as his blows came faster and harder.  
As the assassin raised his sword, Barry found an opening and used it to his advantage.  
He disarmed the assassin and knocked him to the ground before positioning the point of his sword at the man's throat.  
"Very good," Ra's al Ghul said as he approached him, "Now end the fight,"  
Barry looked up at the assassin and frowned.  
"End it?" He repeated, "But he's already down. He's lost,"  
"Exactly," Ra's agreed, "He no longer deserves to live. Kill him,"  
Barry scowled and pulled his sword away.  
"I'm not going to kill him,"   
Ra's al Ghul let out a soft sigh of disappointment and as the assassin began to stand up, Ra's flicked a dagger at him. He fell to the ground with a thump.  
"What the hell?" Barry exclaimed as he bent down to feel the man's pulse.  
It was gone.  
"You didn't have to kill him," Barry said through gritted teeth.  
"Perhaps," Ra's al Ghul said with a shrug, "That isn't the problem here, though,"  
"Then what?" He demanded.  
"It has come to my attention that you, Bartholomew, haven't killed anyone,"  
"So?" Barry asked.  
"So, you have had multiple opportunities to end the life of another. I've seen all your sparring matches. You're good. You've taken some of my oldest members, yet you have never delivered the finishing blow,"  
"Because I'm not a killer," Barry growled.  
Ra's raised an eyebrow.   
"What, praytell, do you think an assassin does?" He asked.  
"I won't kill someone who doesn't deserve it," Barry said, crossing his arms.  
Ra's smirked. "Who made you judge and jury? You - we - are the executioners."  
He began to slowly circle Barry.  
"You could be so much more, Bartholomew. You are stopping yourself from reaching your full potential,"  
"And you think - what? - killing someone is the way for me to unleash my inner assassin?" Barry asked skeptically.  
Ra's al Ghul shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. We'll never know until you try,"  
He turned away from Barry and melted into the shadows.  
"Class is dismissed," 

♚♚♚

"This is the Lazarus Pit," Nyssa said as she led Barry into a cavernous room. Stone arches with doors lined the walls and torches stood on either side of the room. Near the end of the room was a large, circular stone structure that sat on an even larger dais.   
"Looks like a hot tub," Barry muttered, as he stepped onto the platform.  
He went to dip his hand in the water, but Nyssa grabbed his wrist.  
"Only the Head of the Demon is allowed to use the water. No one else,"  
"Okay, ow!" Barry exclaimed, yanking his wrist away from her, "A simple 'no' would have sufficed,"  
Nyssa sighed. "I'm sorry. Its just...my father is not someone you want to anger,"  
Barry snorted. "Believe me, I know,"  
"As do I," Nyssa said, gaze distant.  
"Uh, Nys?" Barry asked, nudging her slightly.  
The Heir blinked and she fixed Barry with a hard stare.   
"Take care that you do not call me that in front of others," She ordered as she turned on her heel. Barry hurried to follow her.  
"Why not? Scared the other assassins will find out you have a heart?" Barry joked.  
"I don't," Nyssa said, "Have a heart, that is,"  
Barry rolled his eyes. "Sure you don't,"  
Nyssa smirked and shoved him playfully.

♚♚♚

Later that day, Nyssa and Barry sat together on the balcony of his room.   
As Nyssa sharpened her daggers, Barry stared up at the multitude of stars littering the night sky.   
"Hey, Nyssa?" He asked.  
"Hmm?" She replied.  
"How long has it been since I first got here?"  
The sound of metal against rock stopped and Barry assumed she was thinking.  
"I believe I found you about a year ago on the island," She finally began slowly, "Why?"  
"No reason. I kind of forgot how old I was for a second."  
Nyssa gave a rare chuckle. "Oh? And how old are you Bartholemew?"  
"If my math is right - which I'm pretty sure it is - I turned 19 a couple months ago,"  
"When is your birthday?" Nyssa asked.  
Barry looked over at her, "Why do you want to know? Planning on giving me a late birthday gift?"  
Nyssa snorted and began sharpening her daggers again. "As if. I merely wanted to know the day the universe decided to curse me with your existence,"  
Barry rolled his eyes and looked back at the stars.   
"March 13th," He finally answered.  
Nyssa stopped sharpening and when Barry looked over at her her brows were furrowed.  
"March 13th?" She repeated and Barry nodded.  
"What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up.  
"Nothing," She said, "It's just that it all makes sense now,"  
"What does?"  
"You were born on a Friday weren't you?"  
Barry stared blankly at her for 5 seconds before registering the joke.  
"Ha ha.Very funny," He said dryly as he laid back down.  
Nyssa began twirling a knife between her fingers.   
"I try," She said with a twinkle in her dark eyes.  
"Your jokes are almost as bad as Oliver's," Barry said without thinking.  
The name caused a tight pain to appear in his chest.  
"Oliver Queen?" Nyssa clarified and Barry looked at her in shock.  
"How...?"  
"You spoke his name quite often while you were in your coma," She explained.  
"Oh," Barry said.  
"You two were...close?"  
"Something like that," Barry agreed.  
"Did you...love him?" Nyssa asked.  
The pain in his chest spiked sharply before Barry was able to push it down.  
He cleared his throat.   
"The sky here is amazing," He said, changing the subject, "Back in the city there were too many lights. Especially in Starling, which is kind of ironic if you think about it and...."  
Thankfully, Nyssa let him ramble on, commenting on something every once in the while.  
Coming to terms with Oliver's death was something Barry wanted to put off for a very long time....

♚♚♚

"I'm sorry, we're going where?" Barry asked in shock after Ra's al Ghul had approached him and Nyssa on the track.  
"Starling," the Demon Head repeated. He handed Barry a dark bag with a hook sticking out.   
"Change into this. I hear the city's quite cold around this time of year,"  
Barry looked at Nyssa who's expression had morphed into one of indifference, the same way it did whenever she was with her father.  
Nevertheless, her eyes held a wary glint.  
"Will I be accompanying you, Father?" She asked smoothly.  
Ra's al Ghul regarded his daughter with dark eyes.  
"No," He finally said, "I am leaving you in charge of Nanda Parbat while I am gone. Think of it as... practice for when your time comes,"  
"Of course," Nyssa murmured, bowing respectfully.  
"Meet me on the runway in 45 minutes," Ra's al Ghul said, turning his focus back to Barry, "Nyssa will show you the way,"  
Nyssa bowed once more and Barry quickly followed suit.

"Do not keep me waiting," 

♚♚♚

"You guys have a runway?" Barry asked in shock as they walked into a wide, open- spaced grassland with a plane resting in the center.  
Nyssa rolled her eyes.  
"Yes, Barry, because that is what you should be focusing on. The fact that we have a runway. Not the fact that you're going somewhere alone with my father,"  
Barry shifted uncomfortably and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets.  
"You make it sound as if he's planning to kill me,"  
Nyssa snorted. "You make it sound as if that's that much of a stretch,"  
Their conversation waned as they approached Ra's al Ghul who stood next to the steps of the plane dressed surprisingly modern.  
"Nice suit," Barry couldn't resist saying.  
"Thank you,"   
He gestured towards the door, "After you, Mr. Allen,"  
Barry gave Nyssa one last nervous smile before walking up the steps with Ra's al Ghul close behind.  
A couple minutes later and about a mile away, Nyssa watched as the plane rose into the air. She finally turned away, hoping that this wasn't the last time she would see her friend.

♚♚♚

"Are you comfortable?" Ra's asked after the plane had begun to fly smoothly.  
Barry gave a nervous smile and nodded his head. "Yes. Thank you,"  
Ra's al Ghul hummed in acknowledgment and pulled a book out from his jacket.  
"Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Allen. We have some way to go,"  
As Ra's began to read, Barry nestled up next to the window, taking in the beautiful views below him.  
"What do you think of change, Barry Allen?" Ra's al Ghul asked suddenly after a couple minutes of silence.  
Barry looked across from him at the Demon's Head who was still reading his book.  
"Um, what kind of change?"  
"Just change in general," Ra's hummed.  
"Change can be good," Barry answered, "It all depends on how you view and react the situation,"  
Ra's al Ghul looked up from his book and stared hard at him.  
"Okay," He finally said and looked back down at his book.  
"Um, why do you ask?" Barry asked.  
"Just curious," Ra's al Ghul answered, "Things have changed, Bartholemew,"  
Barry frowned at his cryptic words and turned to face the windows once more.  
Before long he slipped into a deep sleep....

♚♚♚

Barry awoke an hour and thirty minutes later when the plane touched down on a private runway.  
"So, where are we going?" He asked as Ra's and he stepped off of the plane.  
"Well, I am going to see an associate of mines'," Ra's al Ghul said as a sleek, black car pulled up beside him.  
"And what am I doing?" Barry asked with a raised eyebrow.  
Ra's al Ghul shrugged. "You have two hours to figure out. The plane leaves at 9:30,"  
"What if I don't show up?" Barry asked, feeling reckless, "What if I decide to stay?"  
"Then you stay. I won't hold it against you,"  
"You won't?" He asked incredulously.  
"Nope," Ra's al Ghul said as he opened the car door and stepped inside. "Think of it as a late birthday gift,"   
Barry watched as the car drove away, feeling both worried and confused.  
Tucking the baseball cap he had on close to his face, he began to wander.   
Starling hadn't changed much since he was gone. The city still had its all-business aura and the people walking around him in suits confirmed it.  
He stopped to stare at a reporter in front of a skyscraper. A couple meters away was a man leaning up against a bus pole reading a newspaper.  
Newspaper. Journalism. Iris.  
Barry inhaled sharply as he thought of his foster sister. He wanted - no, needed - to see her.  
He made his way to the train station, only to stop a moment later.  
He had super speed.  
Barry felt a slow smile spread across his face.

♚♚♚

NEWS REPORT: Earlier this afternoon, several people claimed to see a yellow streak speeding through Starling City. A trick of the sun perhaps ...?


	17. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayy!! Another chapter!!  
> Hope you enjoy!!

Barry slowed to a stop as he reached his old home.  
It looked just as he remembered it.  
He checked for Joe or Iris's car in the driveway before walking up the porch. Grabbing the spare key from its hiding place underneath a potted plant, Barry turned the knob and pushed the door open.  
The living room looked slightly different from what he remembered, but it still brought a small smile to his face. He walked over to the fireplace mantle where pictures of him, Iris, and Joe were lined up. He brushed his fingers across Iris's face surprised to find that even after being separated for almost two years she still managed to make his heart race. Pulling away, he walked up the staircase to the second floor.  
Barry pushed his bedroom door open, eyes widening slightly when he looked inside.  
It was like being sent to the past again.  
His room was in the exact state it had been in when he left.  
As he walked around, Barry was careful not to go beyond lingering touches.  
Joe would know if something had been moved or disturbed.  
At the thought of his foster father, Barry's gaze was drawn to the picture on his bedside table. Without thinking, he picked up the silver framed image and stared at it. A smiling 11-year-old stared back at him with a woman and man standing behind him.  
"Mom," Barry whispered, "Dad,"  
He set the picture down carefully and walked out of his room, closing the door carefully behind him.  
Across from his room was Iris's. Her door was open a crack.  
Barry walked in, recalling night-long conversations between the two when Joe was asleep. The room hadn't changed considerably with the exception of new bed sheets and a new laptop on top of it. Barry walked over to her desk where a picture of the two of them sat. His smile faded as he took in the new frames next to his own. They all held pictures of a man with short blonde hair and blue eyes. There were pictures with the two hugging and another with Iris kissing the man's cheek.  
As Barry looked at the pictures he felt something dark curl up in his chest.  
He remembered Ra's voice.  
"Things have changed, Bartholemew,"  
Iris had moved on and even though Bary had expected this it still hurt.  
More than what he expected.  
Barry jerked away from the desk when he heard the sound of the door opening then closing.  
"Dad!"  
Iris's voice tugged on something inside him and he opened his mouth to answer before remembering that he was supposed to be dead.  
He quietly walked out of her room and positioned her door to its previous half-closed state.  
"Dad, are you home?"  
At this moment in time, Barry was silently thanking the League of Assassins for all their lessons on stealth and moving quietly.  
He made his way to the staircase and peered into the living room where Iris stood.  
The sight of her made his heart ache and he yearned to call out to her. Instead, he watched as she set her purse down on the couch and tied her hair up into a ponytail. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.  
"Hey, Eddie? Are you busy?"  
The affection in her voice made Barry flinch.  
"We should go out after you get off your shift at work," She suggested as she plopped down on the sofa.  
Whatever the man - Eddie - said had Iris laughing and Barry briefly indulged himself in the fantasy of tracking down this man and gutting him.  
The sudden turn of his thoughts briefly scared him. He had never thought of killing anyone before. The idea has never appealed to him before.  
But now....  
"So anyway, what...." Iris's voice trailed off as she entered the kitchen.  
Barry jumped onto the banister and dropped quietly to his feet.  
He took one last look around him before unlocking the door and slipping out onto the porch. As soon as he touched the sidewalk, he was off.

♚♚♚

Barry skidded to a stop in front of Starling's road sign.  
He saw sparks out of the corner of his eye.  
"What the...?"  
He was on fire.  
With a totally manly squeal, he quickly wrestled his jacket off and stomped on it.  
"That didn't happen," Barry said out loud.  
A phone began to ring and Barry patted his pockets before pulling one out.  
"Private number?" Barry read with a raised eyebrow.  
He answered.  
"Hello?"  
"Mr. Allen, I'm sending you some coordinates. I suggest you visit the location before we leave,"  
"Wait, what-?"  
The call ended.  
Barry groaned aloud.  
A second later, his phone beeped and a list of coordinates appeared.  
He programmed them into the GPS and memorized the location.  
"Alright, then," He breathed and disappeared in a flash of yellow.

♚♚♚

30 minutes later, Barry found himself in front of the Queen's Mansion.  
"What the hell?" Barry scowled.  
What was Ra's al Ghul playing at?  
He checked his phone and followed the remaining directions to the back of the mansion. Barry tucked his phone into his back pocket and walked over to the two large headstones that weren't there the last time he saw the Queen's backyard.  
His breath caught in his throat as he read the engravings of the first headstone.

~Oliver Jonas Queen~  
~Beloved Son, Brother, and Friend ~

Oliver was dead. Really dead.  
He doesn't even bother to read the other headstone because his vision is tunneling in on the words that are confirming Oliver's death. Tears streaked down his face as he fell to his knees in front of the grave and cried.  
Oliver was gone and there was no hope of him coming back.  
As Barry's heart shattered into pieces, something dark and poisonous curled into his chest.  
He suddenly hates the sound of his crying; the way his tears feel against his face.  
He roughly wiped away his tears and checked the time on his phone.  
9:26  
He had 4 minutes.

♚♚♚

"You're here," Ra's al Ghul said as Barry appeared in front of him.  
"You don't sound surprised," Barry replied.  
Ra's al Ghul shrugged and turned around. Barry followed him up the steps of the plane.  
"Why did you send me there?" Barry asked as he sat down.  
"I needed to be sure of something," Ra's replied.  
"What?"  
"If you could handle the pain of losing all those you care for,"  
Under different circumstances, Barry would have gotten angry. Now he just stared at Ra's al Ghul tiredly.  
"Did I pass?"  
Ra's al Ghul leaned back in his seat. "We have yet to see,"  
They sat in silence for the rest of the plane ride. Barry tried to sleep. He really did. But every time he closed his eyes he saw Oliver's grave. He heard Iris laughing with someone other than himself. By the time they touched down in Nanda Parbat, Barry was exhausted. He trudged emotionlessly behind Ra's al Ghul.  
Nyssa greeted them in the great hall with two other assassins.  
"Father," She bowed, "I hope that your trip was fruitful,"  
"It was," Ra's al Ghul said, "Wouldn't you agree, Barry?"  
He didn't reply.  
"Nyssa, please escort Bartholemew to his room. We'll be training bright and early tomorrow morning,"  
Nyssa bowed once more and the two of them were left alone.  
Once the footsteps were gone, Nyssa walked up to Barry.  
"Barry!" She exclaimed, "Are you okay? What happened?"  
"Can I just go to my room?" He asked in a whisper.  
Nyssa nodded. "Of course,"  
They walked down the stone corridors in silence and when they reached the room, Barry walked in and closed the door behind him.  
"Barry?" Nyssa's worried voice came through the cracks, "What did he do to you?"  
He didn't answer. Instead, he curled up in front of the door and cried.

♚♚♚

"How do I make it stop?" Barry asked the next morning, "The pain?"  
Ra's al Ghul tilted his head at him, dark eyes glinting.  
"I can't-" His voice cracked and he tried again, "I can't take it. How do I make it stop?"  
"Would you like me to teach you how?"  
"Yes,"  
"Then you must promise to do whatever I say,"  
Barry stared at him, green eyes hard as emeralds yet fragile as glass. He finally fell to one knee, bowing his head.  
"I promise,"  
Ra's al Ghul smiled.  
"Then let's begin


	18. Test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably had more fun writing this chapter than I should have...  
> Oh, well!  
> Enjoy!!!

Emotions were pesky, useless things. That is what Ra's al Ghul taught him.  
He taught him not to shove his emotions aside, but to use them.  
Use the anger, the grief, the pain and turn it into something productive. Something deadly.  
Barry trained night and day under Ra's al Ghul's instruction.  
"Nyssa knows nothing that I haven't taught her," Ra's had said when Barry mentioned his daughter, "You'll be fine without her lessons,"  
They still spoke, of course, but with each lesson, the Barry Nyssa knew and cared for seemed to disappear before her eyes.  
"Faster," Ra's al Ghul said as he trained, "No restraint,"  
Barry did as he was told. He used his emotions to strengthen himself and defeat his opponents. He struck quick and true, like lightning. Before long, no assassin could defeat Barry.  
And faster still, he became.  
He was constantly attacking, never giving his opponent the chance to strike. The battle was over before it even began.  
Barry became the perfect storm.  
As perfect as the storm that had taken Oliver away from him. 

♚♚♚

Nyssa watched from the dais with her father as Barry sparred with two other assassins.  
"He has improved, has he not?" Ra's al Ghul asked her.  
"Yes,"  
That much should she could agree. Barry had improved greatly since she last trained him personally. Even without his speed, Barry seemed to be a force of nature. A violent wind. A vindictive tempest. A st-  
"He is a storm," Ra's al Ghul said, voicing her thoughts out loud.  
"Last I checked, storms were difficult to predict, let alone control," She kept her voice neutral.  
"Are you sure you will be able to keep him in check?"  
Her father looked at her, dark eyes glinting dangerously.  
"I created Bartholomew into what he is now. I made him the perfect weapon. He is mine to do as I see fit and I will have no trouble commanding him,"  
Nyssa pursed her lips to keep from saying something she might regret.  
"Of course, Father," She ground out.  
Nyssa turned her attention back to the fight just as Barry was slamming the last assassin into the ground.  
The man started to rise but didn't get very far. Barry placed his foot on the assassin's foot and pushed down.  
"Very good, Bartholomew," Ra's al Ghul said as he stepped off the dais. Nyssa followed him.  
"Release him," He ordered.  
Barry pulled away, sheathing both his swords.  
"Nyssa," Ra's al Ghul said.  
Nyssa knew what he expected of her. Without warning, she grabbed the assassin gasping for air and snapped his neck. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless.  
She looked over at Barry, secretly waiting for the horrified expression that came over his face every time someone was killed in front of him. While the look made her feel like a monster, it reassured her that Barry had still kept some of his humanity despite everything. That he hadn't become like her.  
To her small relief, something akin to disgust flickered in Barry's eyes before disappearing once more.  
"One last test before you join the ranks of the others," Ra's al Ghul said, "Fail me and I will kill you,"  
Nyssa looked over at her father in carefully hidden shock. He had never been so blunt in his threats before, especially with Barry.  
Barry didn't seem to find a problem in it though and simply bowed his head.  
"Pass and I will see that you become an unstoppable force of nature,"  
A force only you will control, Nyssa thought to herself.  
"You have an hour to prepare," Ra's al Ghul said.  
He turned away and Nyssa began to approach Barry.  
"Nyssa," Ra's al Ghul called, "Come,"  
Nyssa winced and gave Barry a small smile that she wasn't entirely sure he saw.  
The young man's eyes were dark and distant.  
Sighing softly, she turned away from him and went after her father.

♚♚♚

After the evening meal, Barry was led to a courtyard outside.  
Ra's al Ghul and Nyssa stood there with assassins standing guard around them.  
As soon as Barry approached them, Ra's al Ghul cried out, "Bring the prisoner!"  
A squirming figure with a black sack on their head emerged from the darkness. They were shoved onto their knees.  
Ra's al Ghul ripped the hood off, revealing Iris's tear-streaked face.  
"Barry!" She cried out.  
Barry grew rigid and in an instant, he was in front of his foster sister.  
"Iris?" He asked, not quite comprehending what he was seeing.  
"Barry! He-he broke into t-the house and t-took me to a p-plane," Her words came in broken sentences and Barry took her face in his hands.  
"That was a two week ago," Barry breathed.  
He turned to Ra's al Ghul with a dangerous look.  
"You've had her here for two weeks?" He demanded.  
"B-Barry," Iris stammered, grabbing his attention again, "Help me, I'm scared."  
He nodded. "I'm going to get you out of here. Okay?"  
She nodded and gave him a shaky smile.  
"No, you're not," Ra's al Ghul announced.  
Barry gave the Demon's Head a dark look. "What do you mean, I'm not?"  
"This is your final test, Bartholemew," He walked forward and pulled Barry's sword from the sheath hanging around his waist and turned it so that the hilt was facing Barry.  
"Kill her,"  
Iris's sobs increased. "Barry!"  
"It's okay," He reassured her, "I'm not going to do it!"  
"Yes, you will," Ra's al Ghul said, "Kill her,"  
Barry stared at Ra's al Ghul and faster than anyone could blink, Barry was in front of the Demon's Head with the sword positioned underneath his neck.  
The assassins around them immediately reached for their weapons, but Ra's al Gul raised a hand, effectively stopping them.  
"It's fine," He said, calmly.  
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Barry noted that Nyssa hadn't moved an inch.  
He filed away that information.  
"What makes you so sure I won't kill you and leave with her?" Barry hissed.  
Ra's al Ghul smirked. "You feel that, Bartholemew? That power coursing through you? That knowledge that you have the ability to take my life at any second?"  
Barry snarled at him, pushing the edge of the sword further up his neck.  
"You like it, don't you? Knowing that no one can stop you,"  
"Shut up,"  
"Kill her and no one will ever be able to hurt you again. That pain you sometimes feel? Will disappear forever,"  
At that, Barry faltered.  
Even with Iris right next to him, the sting of her moving on still hurt. Even with Ra's al Ghul's new lessons, Barry still sometimes felt the breathtaking pain that came with losing everyone.  
"Forever?" He confirmed.  
A slow smile spread across Ra's al Ghul face.  
Barry slowly pulled away, lowering his sword before dropping it onto the ground.  
Around him, the tense assassins finally relaxed their stance.  
He walked behind Iris and cut off the ropes that bound her hands with a dagger he pulled from his forearm. She rose to her feet and embraced Barry tightly. He hugged her back, just as tight.  
"I'm sorry," He finally whispered.  
Iris pulled away, brown eyes confused.  
"Wha-?"  
A small sound left her lips and her eyes widened. "Barr..." She gasped out.  
Barry watched emotionless as Iris dropped to the ground, his dagger sticking between her ribs.  
"Very good," Ra's al Ghul announced, "You will officially join the League of Assasins at midnight tomorrow,"  
Barry said nothing and Ra's al Ghul disappeared into the darkness with the other assassins, leaving him with Nyssa.  
As soon as she was sure everyone was gone, Nyssa rushed over to him.  
"It was a drug, Barry," She whispered into his ear, "The food you ate was drugged. Whoever you saw, it wasn't them,"  
Barry looked at her, eyes devoid of any light.

That didn't change anything. 

♚♚♚

Nyssa was surprised to find Barry training with her father the next morning. She had expected a traumatic event, such as the one last night, to have him secluded in his room up until the Naming Ceremony that would occur at midnight. Barry had spoken to Nyssa, on occasion, about his foster sister and best friend.  
(Whenever Nyssa heard the latter she felt a twinge of something that she was beginning to associate with jealousy.)  
It was obvious to Nyssa that Barry felt something for the young woman. Maybe not as strong as what he did for Oliver Queen, but close enough. Even after Nyssa reassured Barry that Iris was still safe and sound in Central City, the young man continued to stare at the unmoving body in front of him as if he really had killed his best friend. The constant flicker of light in his eyes had been snuffed out and it was like his soul had died.  
Right now, however, was a different story.  
At the moment he was streaking across the room in a blur of lightning, effectively attacking all his targets After a couple minutes of watching him Nyssa was confused as to why Barry still hadn't won. It was then she heard his laugh. Or at least, she thinks it is his laugh. The only other people in the room was her father who never laughed and the assassins sparring with Barry. The sound came again and Nyssa confirmed that it was indeed the speedster's laugh, but something had changed.  
It sounded...wild. Unhinged.  
Crazy.  
It took a second for Nyssa to realize that the reason Barry wasn't bringing the fight to an end was that he was toying with the other assassins. Smacking them around and disorienting them.  
"Has he not yet won?" Nyssa asked, stepping out of the shadows, "Why does he continue?"  
Ra's al Ghul simply hummed.  
"Father," She persisted.  
"Oh, come now Nyssa," he said, "Do not be the one to ruin the boy's fun. I don't think I've seen him so happy,"  
The worst part? Ra's al Ghul was right.  
Nyssa had only seen Barry truly happy after he'd ran. Now, he seemed to be having equally as much fun, pushing the assassins around, if his crazed laughter was anything to judge by.  
"This grows tiresome," Ra's al Ghul announced after a couple minutes.  
"Bartholomew? "  
The yellow streak came to a stop in front of them in the lean form of Barry Allen.  
Nyssa kept her face carefully indifferent as she studied the younger man.  
He looked perfectly fine with no evidence on his face that said he had been mourning. The only difference was his eyes. Before, Barry's eyes had been a bright hazel-green with a soft, comforting light flickering behind it. Now, his eyes seemed to be the site of a lightning storm; never staying green for too long. It was as if his power was just brimming on the surface, waiting to be used.  
There was no remainder of the broken man she had tried to comfort last night.  
"Yes?" Barry answered.  
"Do as I taught you earlier this morning," Ra's al Ghul commanded.  
Barry gave an almost manic grin, speeding around the room once more before returning to his spot.  
Nyssa frowned. What had her father asked him to do?  
Before she could ask, the five assassins who had been sparring with Barry (if you could even call it that) dropped to the ground simultaneously.  
Silence.  
"You killed them," Nyssa said out loud, voice empty with shock.  
Barry simply grinned and rocked on his heels.  
"Yep," he said, popping the 'p',  
"Snapped their necks in under 5 seconds," He looked at her, "Cool, right?"  
"Cool," She repeated, still frozen.  
"I'll see you tonight, Bartholomew," Ra's al Ghul said as he walked away.  
Barry and Nyssa both bowed then raised as he left.  
"You killed them," Nyssa said again as she approached Barry.  
He shrugged.  
"Barry," She began, "You know that last night-"  
"Wasn't real," Barry finished for her, "I know,"  
"Then why...?" She trailed off, not quite sure how to finish her question.  
"Because your father ordered me to," He said with another shrug.  
"And," he added with a small smile, "I wanted to,"  
Nyssa gaped at Barry.  
"Let's go do something," Barry suddenly said. He grabbed Nyssa by the arm and pulled her along.  
Nyssa followed dazed, "Um, yeah,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so we're clear: Iris is NOT dead! We will be seeing her in the near future....  
> Also, could you guys let me know if my story needs any warnings? I don't think I'm using graphic depictions of violence, but I could always be wrong~  
> Anyway, thanks for reading!!!  
> 


	19. Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!!

There once was a boy who had everything he could ever wish for. A loving home with a gentle mother and a caring father. He was a happy and kind boy with a big heart...  
And then the lightning came.  
And with the lightning came a man in a yellow suit. His mother was murdered by the lightning and his father falsely accused.  
For awhile after that, he was sad and miserable. But then he was taken in by a loving family and his best friend became his sister and first love. As he grew older, his mind became unsurpassed in intellect and intelligence. He became a tutor and fell in love with his student: a selfish, self-centered billionaire playboy who was constantly surprising him with the softer sides of his personality. The boy was finally beginning to feel happy again.  
And then the lightning struck again.  
It took everyone and everything away from him.  
It left him alone.

But...  
It also left him a gift: the ability to run faster than the speed of sound and even faster then. 

Electricity crackling across his skin.

The boy was taken in by the Heir to the Demon and taught the ways of darkness and shadows. Her father, the Demon's Head, took an interest in the green-eyed boy and took him under his guidance. The boy was taught to push away his human side and embrace the uncontrollable power of his electricity.  
His lightning.

It was the lightning who took his mother and father away from him. It was the lightning that took Iris and Joe away. It was the lightning that took Oliver....  
But it was also the lightning that gave him his power. That limitless supply of energy to use at his every whim.  
Barry wanted to be that. The force that gave and took without a shred of mercy.  
So when Ra's al Ghul asks him what he wishes his new name to be, his new identity, a small smile curls along his lips.  
"Lightning," He says,

Al-Bariq

♚♚♚

After the ceremony, Nyssa finds herself in the training fields alone, staring up at the stars. There's a brief disturbance next to her and she lets the corner of her lip curl slightly.  
"You know, there's a much better view from my balcony," Bar- she means, Al-Bariq says.  
"Is that so?" She asks.  
"Mmmhh," Al-Bariq says.  
"I did not want to disturb you," She finally admits, "Thought you might want some time to yourself,"  
"I did," Al-Bariq agreed, "But now that time is over and I want to spend time with you,"  
Nyssa kept her face carefully blank when she turned to face Al-Bariq.  
"We're still friends?" She asked.  
Al-Bariq blinked, surprised, "Well, yeah. Aren't we?"  
"I wasn't sure," she said, "When an assassin chooses a new name, they're agreeing to forget about their past life and who they were. It was Barry who was friends with Nyssa,"  
"And he still is," Al-Bariq said with a shrug, "Nothing's changed between us. Still, call me Barry,"  
"And what of forgetting your past self?" She asked.  
Al-Bar - ahem - Barry rolled his eyes. "You don't honestly think I'm wrapped around your father's finger, do you?"  
"Everyone here is," She pointed out.  
He smirked. "Your father controls me because I let him,"  
"And why do you let him?"  
"Because, between you and me, I think I might be going crazy,"  
Nyssa smirked at Barry's tone but didn't deny the fact.  
"I need something to ground me and the League is just that,"  
"And what is my purpose?" Nyssa couldn't help but ask.  
Barry smiled at her; a genuine smile that held no hint of insanity or darkness.  
For a second, Nyssa was able to see the old Barry.  
"Your purpose is to remind me of my human side," He finally said.  
She snorted. "It's ironic: the Heir to the Demon reminding someone to be human,"  
Barry smirked. "I'm pretty sure we're the definition of ironic,"  
"So," She said, "Your balcony?"  
Barry grinned. "Want a ride?"  
"Only if you promise not to tell anyone,"  
"Deal,"  
Without warning, he scooped her up and sped them to the balcony of his room.  
"That was-"  
"Fun?" He filled in for her.  
"Breathtaking," Nyssa corrected with a smile.  
"In a good or bad way?"  
The Heir thought for awhile. "Both,"  
They both fell into comfortable silence as they stared up at the stars.  
"You know," Barry said with a laugh, "If this was a cliche book ending, we would be kissing right now,"  
Nyssa laughed. "Sounds horrible,"  
"Right?"  
They stared at each other for awhile before bursting into laughter once more.

Above them the night sky sparkled.


	20. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I've taken so long to update!!  
> Hope this makes up for it!!  
> :D

"Oliver! Did you remember to invite Barry?" Thea yelled from the living room.  
"Yep!" He yelled back, "Did you remember to order the pizza?"  
"I'm eleven," She replied, voice lowering in volume as she entered the kitchen.  
He raised an eyebrow. "You say that as if it's supposed to mean something,"  
She rolled her eyes, albeit playfully.  
"It means that you're the adult here. You should have ordered the pizza,"  
"Well, I didn't so...,"  
Thea made a tsking sound that reminded Oliver of their mother.  
"I ordered three," She said, "Hawaiian, Extra cheese, and jalapenos with olives. I thought you hated jalapeno's, by the way?"  
"It's not for me," He explained, "I'm proving a point to Barry,"  
"Which is...?"  
"That Starling pizza is better than Central City's,"  
"Oh, definitely!" Thea agreed and Oliver grinned at his little sister.  
The microwave beeped and he pulled out the steaming popcorn bag.  
He poured the popcorn into a large bowl, popping a few into his mouth.  
"Don't eat it all, Ollie! The movie hasn't even started!" Thea scolded and Oliver shoved more into his mouth, just to mess with her.  
She threw a table mat at him.  
"Kids, be nice!" Their mom said as she came into the kitchen.  
"Yeah, Thea!" Oliver said childishly.  
He was flicked playfully by his mother.  
"Where are you going?" Thea asked, taking in their mother's formal appearance.  
"Dad and I are going out, dear! We'll be back later tonight,"  
"Okay," Thea said.  
She grabbed the bowl of popcorn away from Oliver and skipped into the living room.  
"Oliver?" His mom said.  
"Yes?"  
"I don't want you leaving her alone, okay?"  
"Mom," He groaned.  
"I'm not kidding, Oliver! Cancel whatever plans you have and stay with her,"  
"I have no other plans," he said with a roll of his eyes, "I canceled my date with Laurel so we could have a movie night,"  
His mom blinked, seemingly surprised. "Really?"  
"Yeah,"  
A slow smile spread across her face and she walked around the island counter to hug him.  
"Mom!" He groaned, "Stop!"  
"Sorry," She said, pulling away, "I'm just...proud of you,"  
"Woah!" His dad said, walking into the kitchen with a tux and three boxes of pizza in hand, "What did I miss?"  
"Oliver is finally becoming a responsible older brother," His mom replied.  
"You say that as if I wasn't one before," Oliver said with a roll of his eyes.  
His parents exchanged looks.  
"What?" He asked.  
"Oh, would you look at the time!" His dad suddenly exclaimed, "Your Mom and I should really get going,"  
"Ha ha!" Oliver said sarcastically as he followed them to the front door.  
"Be good," His mom said.  
"When am I not?" Oliver countered with a smirk.  
His mom chuckled and his dad ruffled his hair.  
"Oh, wait!" Oliver said when they were halfway out the door, "Is it okay if Barry comes over?"  
His parents exchanged looks. "I don't see why not," His mom finally said.  
"Good," Oliver grinned, "Cause I already invited him,"  
His parents sighed and gave him fond looks.  
"Goodbye Oliver,"  
"Bye," He closed and locked the doors behind them.

♚♚♚

"So, what do you wanna watch?" Oliver asked as he sprawled out on the living room couch and placed his feet on the coffee table.  
Thea tossed him the remote. "I don't know. You?"  
He scrolled through the movie selections. "How about...Grown-Ups?"  
"Sure," She grinned, "But wait for Barry to come!"  
He rolled his eyes but abided by her request.  
Not long after the door bell rang.  
"I'll get it!" Thea practically screeched.  
"No," He said, standing up, "I'll get it. It might be a robber or something,"  
"And if it is, what are you going to do?" Thea asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"I'll charm them with my good looks and charisma," Oliver said as he started towards the door.  
"It would help if you had any of those traits," She called after him.  
He rolled his eyes and peered through the keyhole before plastering a suave smile and opening the door.  
"Hey," he greeted smoothly.  
"Hi," Barry said, sounding a little out of breath, "Sorry I'm late,"  
"It's fine," Oliver said and took the pizza boxes out of Barry's hands.  
"What are these? I already ordered pizza,"  
Barry flashed him a cheeky grin. "I was counting on that. I'm proving a point,"  
"And that is...?"  
"That Central City pizza is better than Starlings',"  
"Right," Oliver said with a roll of his eyes, "Keep lying to yourself,"  
Barry opened his mouth to say something back, but before he could Thea darted out into the foyer.  
"Barry!" She exclaimed.  
"Hey, Thea!" The younger man greeted with a warm smile, "How's it going?"  
"It goes well," Thea giggled, "Can I take your coat? Mom says that's a crucial part of being a good host,"  
"Of course it is," Barry agreed with a grin, shedding his jacket and folding it.  
He handed it to her and she set on a table near the door.  
"C'mon!" She said, grabbing his wrist, "There's popcorn and pizza in the living room!"  
Oliver watched in amusement as Thea practically dragged Barry away.  
He found them in the living room with Thea chatting amiably - more to herself than Barry - and the young man nodding and commenting every once in awhile with a smile.  
"Soda!" Thea exclaimed suddenly in the middle of her sentence, "That's what I'm forgetting,"  
She turned to Barry. "What would you like?"  
"Root beer is good," He answered, "Thank you,"  
Thea stood up from the carpet and started towards the kitchen.  
"Hey," Oliver exclaimed, "What about me?"  
"I'm not your servant," Thea yelled from the kitchen.  
"But I'm your big brother! You wove me!"  
Oliver could practically feel her rolling his eyes before she grumbled out a "fine,"  
"Oliver?" Barry asked.  
"Hmm?"  
"Please tell me you're not letting Thea watch this movie,"  
"What? Why?" Oliver asked as he leaned over the couch.  
"Oliver, this movie is PG-13,"  
"So?"  
"Thea's 11,"  
"So?"  
"She's too young,"  
Oliver shrugged. "We've watched worse,"  
"That doesn't help your case,"  
"She'll be fine," Oliver said as he flipped onto the couch cushions, "She's like 1/3 of a teenager, right?"  
Barry turned and stared hard at Oliver.  
"What?" the billionaire asked.  
"I'm wondering whether or not you've processed what you just said,"  
Before Oliver could reply Thea stepped into the living room balancing three soda cans in her arms.  
"Is Oliver bothering you?" She asked.  
"No," Barry replied with a smirk, "He's behaving,"  
Oliver snorted. "When have I ever misbehaved?"  
The looks Barry and Thea shot him were almost comical in the way they were exactly identical.  
Thea handed Barry his soda and tossed Oliver his.  
She sat next to him on the carpet and started the movie.

♚♚♚

"So, what do you think?" Barry asked after Thea had finished chewing the pizza from Central City.  
Thea held a slice of pizza in both hands, weighing them as if she was a balance.  
Finally, she announced, "Sorry, Ollie! I have to go with Central City,"  
"Yes!" Barry exclaimed and then proceeded to stick his tongue out at him.  
What a child.  
Oliver made an exaggerated moaning sound and pantomimed being stabbed in the heart.  
"How..how could you?!" He wailed.  
Thea giggled and Barry rolled his eyes, amused.  
Barry handed Oliver a slice and the billionaire took his time glaring at the food as if it had personally offended him.  
"Don't be ridiculous, Oliver," The younger man chided him.  
Sighing dramatically, Oliver took a bite of the pizza.  
"Well?" Barry asked with a raised eyebrow. Thea leaned in as well.  
"It's decent," Oliver finally decided,  
"Just admit that it's the better pizza," Barry said with a smirk.  
"Never!" Oliver exclaimed, "I'm not a traitor like some people,"  
"Take that back!" Thea said and proceeded to jump onto him.  
Laughing, Oliver let his sister wrestle him onto his back and pin his arm there.  
Barry watched the whole thing with merry eyes and a wide smile.  
"Do you surrender?" She asked once Oliver stopped struggling.  
He blew a strand from his face and grinned.  
"I surrender, oh mighty Thea Queen,"  
"Good," She said and climbed off of him.  
"I'm going to get another soda,"  
"Thea," Barry said with a slight frown, "This is going to be your fourth soda. Maybe you should take a break?"  
"I could," Thea said with a contemplative look, "Or I could drink even more soda and take a break later,"  
"I like your logic," Oliver said with a smirk.  
Barry frowned at him, "Oliver,"  
"What?"  
The younger man gave him a pointed look and Oliver sighed.  
"Fine," He turned to his little sister, "He's right, Thea. You're going to get sick. Lay off on the carbonated drinks, alright?"  
Thea scowled and crossed her arms. "Fine. But just so we're clear, I like you a little less now,"  
A wounded expression came over Barry's face, making him look like a hurt puppy.  
Thea must have seen the likeness too because she immediately softened towards him.  
"But...if it makes you feel better, I like you more than Oliver,"  
"Hey!"  
Barry smiled. "Thanks!"  
"You'd make a nice brother," Thea said, "Do you have any siblings?"  
"Yes. I mean, no."  
Oliver raised an eyebrow and Barry flushed. "It's complicated...,"  
"Well," Thea said, "I happen to be in the business of hiring a new brother,"  
"Is that so?" Barry asked, green eyes sparkling.  
"Yep. I'll need references of course,"  
"Of course,"  
"And a one-page essay telling me why I should consider you for the job. Not double spaced,"  
"I would never,"  
"Hello?" Oliver called, "Am I invisible here? What about me?"  
"What about you?" Thea asked, "You'll apply just like everyone else,"  
"But I'm your actual brother!"  
"Blood relations count for nothing," She sniffed.  
"C'mon, Thea! If that were true, Dad wouldn't be passing the family business to me,"  
"True,"  
A brief frown flickered over Barry's face at that before disappearing.

♚♚♚

After an hour of meaningless jokes, Thea began to yawn and rub at her eyes.  
"You awake there, Thea?" Oliver asked, eyeing his sister.  
She nodded, yawning again as she slumped against the couch's armrest.  
Barry checked his watch.  
"It's getting late," He said as he stood up from the floor, "I should get going,"  
"What?" Thea exclaimed, starting awake, "Don't go, Barry! Let's talk some more!"  
He smiled fondly at her. "Sorry, Thea. I have to. The drive to Starling from Central is murder and I have school and work tomorrow,"  
That caught Oliver's attention.  
"I didn't know you had a job,"  
"There's a lot you don't know about me," Barry quipped back in a cocky tone that took Oliver by surprise.  
If he had known it only required pizza and a movie to get Barry to lose his teacher-like approach with him, he would've done it ages ago.  
"Maybe I'd like to know more about you," Oliver replied with an easy smirk once he recovered.  
Barry flushed but - surprisingly - didn't back down and stared Oliver levelly in the eye.  
"Oh, yeah?"  
"Stop flirting," Thea murmured, resting on the armrest once more.  
Barry looked at her, face turning a darker shade of red as if he had forgotten she was there.  
"We-we weren't f-flirting,"  
If his sister's eyes were open, Oliver had a strong sense that she would be rolling them.  
"C'mon, Thea. Let's get you to bed,"  
Without warning, he swept her off the couch and into his arms.  
Thea squealed, awake for the moment, "Let me down, Ollie! I'm not a baby!"  
Oliver ignored her and continued to spin and dip her until she was a giggling mess in his arms.  
Barry watched laughing.  
"Great - hic-," Thea said, "Now I've got - hic - hiccups,"  
"I'll send some water up for you," Oliver replied, "Promise,"  
He turned to Barry. "I'll be right back,"  
The younger man nodded, eyes twinkling.  
"Good night, Thea,"  
"Night, Barry," She replied, nestling into Oliver's chest.  
Oliver took his sister up into her room, pausing only to tuck her in and place a quick kiss on her forehead.  
Not that she would know, seeing how she was fast asleep now.  
He made his way downstairs and into the living room, surprised to find all the pillows arranged neatly on the couch and the pizza boxes and soda cans gone.  
Barry stood in the center of the room, arms raised above his head.  
Oliver leaned on the couch, eyeing the pale stretch of skin above Barry's waist.  
"Have a good night?" He asked.  
Barry whirled around, arms falling to his sides. Oliver ignored the slight disappointment he felt when his shirt lowered.  
"Yes, actually. Thea's really sweet,"  
Oliver scoffed. "You're only saying that because you don't live with her. She can be very annoying,"  
Barry smiled. "You're just saying that. I know how you really feel,"  
"Oh?"  
"Yep. You care about Thea more than anything,"  
"Maybe," Oliver admitted, "But I learned something about you too,"  
"Really?" Barry grinned as they walked to the front door, "And what was that?"  
"You are not the stuffy, uptight tutor you pretend to be,"  
Barry laughed. "Nice to hear you had such a high opinion of me,"  
Oliver laughed as well. Barry's laugh had that effect on people.  
"What I mean, is that I would like to get to know this Barry Allen more,"  
Barry's cheeks tinged pink as he grabbed his jacket off a table.  
"Maybe you will,"  
Oliver grinned at that as he held the door open.  
Barry slid his jacket on and Oliver reached forward, grabbing hold of his collar as he pulled the other man closer.  
"I hope I do," he murmured.  
Barry flushed further and Oliver smoothed his collar down before pulling away.  
"Good night, Barry,"  
"G-good night," Barry stammered, walking backward.  
Oliver watched in amusement as he turned around, almost slamming into the door frame.  
"S-sorry," He apologized, "Um, bye,"  
The billionaire closed the door with a smile.


	21. Sara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter everyone's been waiting for!!!  
> (Well, kind of...) :D
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!

Nyssa leaned over the railing of the ship and studied the sparkling water below her.   
"Beautiful, isn't?" Barry asked as he approached her.  
"Very," She replied with a smirk, "Is the captain on route to the island?"  
"Mhmm," Barry replied.  
"And our cover story?"  
"A newly married couple with a love for photography and exotic flora,"  
"Good," Nyssa replied, pulling her jacket closer around her.  
"What does your dad even expect you to find there?" Barry asked.  
"How should I know?" Nyssa asked, "My father isn't the most forward man,"  
Barry snorted and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.  
With his wind-blown hair and childlike features, he looked like the 20-year-old he was. The last person you would expect to be a dangerous assassin.  
"5 minutes 'til we reach the shore," The captain called from the control room.  
Barry shifted slightly, eyes flickering yellow as he eyed the growing land mass.  
"You okay?" She asked.  
"Fine,"  
Nyssa raised an eyebrow.   
Over the past year, Barry had become increasingly good at masking his emotions when needed. She had witnessed him gut several targets with nothing but a slow blink and slight smirk.  
Nyssa though had always been able to decipher the younger man's emotions.  
She could practically see the waves of tension radiating off of him; it was a wonder lightning wasn't sparking off of him.   
"You didn't have to come, you know,"  
Barry rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did. What kind of escort would I be if I didn't?"  
Nyssa said nothing.   
The boat came to a gradual stop and the captain came out.  
"How long do you two lovebirds plan on staying?"  
"We have yet to know," Nyssa replied, pushing off the railing, "We have to find the perfect scenery,"  
"I'll go get our equipment," Barry volunteered.  
Nyssa watched him disappear off the deck and into a hallway.  
"So," the captain said, "How long have you two known each other?"  
"About two years," Nyssa replied.  
"He must be very special to have won someone like you,"  
Nyssa raised an eyebrow as the captain drew closer.  
"If you ever get tired of him...,"  
"I won't," Nyssa said firmly, disgusted by the man's implication.  
She went to pull away when the man grabbed her wrist and yanked her close.  
"Now, wait here,"  
Nyssa regarded the man with dark eyes.   
"Let go of me,"  
His grip tightened.  
She was thinking of several ways to kill him when there was a flash of lightning and suddenly the man was on his back.  
"Wha-wha?" He sputtered, eyes wide as he struggled to catch his breath.  
Barry materialized beside him, placing his foot on the man's chest.  
"I was handling that," Nyssa said with a scowl.  
"I know," Barry said and looked up at her, "I got bored,"  
She rolled her eyes and strode forward, flicking out the hidden knife in her sleeve.  
She crouched down next to him. "I was going to spare you,"  
The man's eyes widened and before he could scream, Nyssa plunged the knife into his side.  
Above her, the speedster smirked.  
When the man stopped twitching, Nyssa pulled the knife out and wiped it on his shirt.  
"Were you?" Barry suddenly asked.  
"What?"  
"Going to spare him,"  
Nyssa thought. "I would've waited awhile longer before ending his life,"  
Barry hummed.   
"What about you?" Nyssa asked as she unzipped the duffle bag Barry had dropped, "Would you have spared him?"  
Barry watched in silence as Nyssa pulled out a quiver of arrows and slid it over her shoulder.  
"Barry?" She pressed.  
The young man tilted his head from side to side as if listening to something.  
"I would like to think I would," Barry said.  
"But?" Nyssa said as she handed him his katana and pulled out her bow.  
"But," He drew out the word, "I would've preferred to kill him before we reached the island,"  
"Blood thirsty," Nyssa said as she rose, "No wonder my father likes you,"  
"Ha ha," Barry said with a roll of his eyes, "Can we go now? Boats that don't move make me nervous,"  
Nyssa knew the story behind that fear and didn't press the issue.  
"Let's go," She said.  
"Want a ride?" Barry asked.  
Nyssa nodded and the speedster swept her into his arms.  
A second later she was being set down on the sand.  
"You're getting better at not falling down," Barry smiled.  
"That was one time," Nyssa scowled, "And we swore never to speak of it,"  
Barry's laugh coaxed a smile to her lips.

♚♚♚

Barry readjusted the sword strapped to his back as he stepped over a rock.  
Nyssa moved a couple paces ahead of him, light on her feet despite the combat boots she wore.   
"Found anything?" He called.  
"No," She called back.  
Barry sighed, tucking his hands into his pockets.  
"Remind me why I couldn't speed-search the island, again?"  
"According to Ra's al Ghul, the island is full of landmines and unknown explosives,"  
"Really?" Barry asked, "Why?"  
"The island used to be a Chinese prison. Lian Yu actually means Purgatory in Mandarin,"  
"Cheerful,"  
Nyssa let out a dry laugh. "It's a prison, Barry. Were you expecting it to be called Rainbow City?"  
"No," He grumbled, "But for a place name 'Purgatory' I would've expected more -"  
"A body,"  
"Well, yeah. And it's plural. Bodies, not body,"  
"No," Nyssa interrupted, "Look,"  
Barry sped over to her and prided himself on staying still as he saw what looked like a corpse.   
The forensic scientist part of his brain immediately kicked into action.  
Judging by the slight curves, the body was that of a woman. Her body was thin, but not unbearably so. The skin was tan, but not to the point of being sunburned.  
"Starvation wasn't the cause of death," Barry finally announced, "Or heat stroke. Her skin is barely sun burned. So either she recently died or..."   
His voice trailed off as Nyssa reached forward and pulled the pale blonde hair away from the corpse's face.  
Barry inhaled sharply, yanking back as the wall he built between him and his memories cracked.  
"Barry," Nyssa said. Her voice was distant.  
"Barry. Barry listen to me. Listen to my voice,"  
He closed his eyes, struggling to do as he was told.  
"Breathe,"   
He inhaled shakily and exhaled.   
Repeat.  
"Barry?" Nyssa asked, concern evident in her voice.  
He called to the lightning beneath his skin, using its energy to drown out the sound of his emotions.  
When he opened his eyes, a cool detachment settled over him.  
"Are you okay?" Nyssa asked.  
"Her name was Sara," He finally said, "She was on the ship with me,"  
Nyssa gave him a measured look. "How did she die?"  
Somewhere beneath the electricity, Barry felt grateful for her not asking for him to elaborate.  
"The cause of death is uncertain. Maybe if I had my tools -,"   
He cut off sharply as Sara's chest suddenly rose and fell.   
"She's alive," Nyssa said, voice void of any shock.  
"So it seems,"  
They studied her awhile longer before Barry's brain fully processed the information.  
He reached forward and found her pulse; beating weakly beneath his fingertips.  
"Her pulse is weak and she's dehydrated. We should get her to the ship. There I can set up an IV with some fluids,"  
Nyssa raised an eyebrow. "You brought all of that with you?"  
"Nope," Barry smirked, "But I am the fastest man alive. I'm sure there'll be no problem,"  
"Fine," Nyssa slid one arm under Sara's neck and the other underneath her.  
She lifted her off the ground, cradling the body toward her.  
"Take us to the ship," She ordered.  
Barry nodded and quickly scooped Nyssa up.  
A second and lightning flash later, he was setting her down on the wooden deck of the ship.  
As Nyssa went to set Sara down, Barry studied the captain's body.  
He nudged the man with his foot and to his surprise, the corpse whimpered.  
"What is it with dead people not being dead?" Barry muttered under his breath as he knelt down beside the captain.  
The man's eyes fluttered weakly and his complexion was ashen.  
"Please," He croaked, "Help me,"  
Barry rocked on his heels. "Why should I? You hit on my wife,"  
"I'm sorry! Please, help me!"  
Barry released a long-suffering sigh. "Fine,"  
He pulled the man up, ignoring his scream of pain and snapped his neck.  
"I don't think that's the kind of help he wanted," Nyssa said, leaning against the door frame.  
Barry shrugged as he tossed the body overboard. "Only help I'm willing to give,"  
"More like wanted," Nyssa smirked.  
"How's Sara?" He asked.  
"In need of an IV,"  
"Oh, right,"   
He ran, speeding over the water and stealing unused IV's from the nearest hospital.  
"There," He said, reappearing in front of Nyssa, "I think I broke my own record,"  
"Seeing how no one else can beat it," She began.  
"Let's get Sara hooked up," Barry interrupted.  
Nyssa smirked.

♚♚♚

Nyssa sat next to Sara's bedside, studying the woman's peaceful expression. Every once in awhile though, a distressed cry would leave her mouth and a pained expression crossed her face.  
"It's like when I found you," Nyssa said, hearing the speedster enter.  
"Do you think she's who your father wanted you to find?"  
"Maybe,"  
They watched her in a companionable silence that was broken by Sara's eyes suddenly flying open as she gasped for air.  
Nyssa immediately rose from her chair and Barry began tampering with the IV.   
Sara's eyes were wide and frantic and Nyssa placed a hand on her forearm in an effort to calm her.  
"Oliver!" Sara gasped out, "Where's Oliver?"  
Nyssa's blood ran cold and she looked over at Barry who showed no emotion as he adjusted the drop rate.  
Sara's breath slowly began to even out and her eyes fluttered closed with one last cry of, "Ollie,"  
"That was interesting," Barry said in a light tone that was too flat; too forced.  
"Barry," Nyssa began, "People who are unconscious usually call out for the last person they remember seeing when they wake. This Oliver -,"  
"Is dead," Barry interrupted, eyes yellow.  
"Barry," Nyssa said, "What if Oliver survived as you did and Sara was with him?"  
For a second Nyssa thought she had reached him. The tiniest spark of hope had lit in his eyes; a green glow.  
A second later they flared yellow with lightning.  
"I'm going to check the ship's controls,"   
He sped away before Nyssa could say anything else.  
Sighing, the Demon's Heir turned back toward the unconscious woman.  
She is quite beautiful, Nyssa thought then scowled.  
Why did that matter?  
And why did she notice?

Sara stirred once more.  
"Oliver," She whimpered.


	22. West

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of bothering me, so I decided to clean it up a bit. Nothing major has changed, only the last couple sentences.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!! (Again) :)

"Barry!"  
Barry had just enough time to look up from his laptop when Iris came running into his room.  
"I need your help,"  
"Ever heard of knocking?" He asked playfully, "I could have been naked,"  
"As if I haven't seen you naked," Iris smirked, "Are you forgetting the pool incident?"  
A blush spread across his face. "Shut up,"  
"Exactly,"  
She plopped down on his bed and Barry lowered his laptop screen to see her better.  
"What's up?"  
"I need help choosing a major,"  
"For college?" He asked.  
"Yep,"  
Barry shifted uncomfortably. "Isn't that a personal decision, Iris?"  
"Well, yeah, but there are so many choices. I need you to help me narrow them down,"  
"Okay, then. What have you thought of?"  
"Culinary arts?"  
"You've set water on fire,"  
"Police Academy?"  
"Joe would sooner lock you up in a cellar,"  
"Okay. What do you suggest, Mr. I-know-everything-about-you?"  
He took the paper from her hands and read over the possibilities.  
"How about journalism? You'd make a good reporter,"  
"You think?" She asked, leaning back on her arms.  
"Mhmm. You're good at discovering the truth and finding out secrets,"  
"So, in other words: I'm nosy,"  
"Pretty much," He confirmed with a smirk.  
"Well...maybe,"  
She sat up again and scooted closer to him so she could peer at the paper with him.  
Barry tried to ignore the fact that her hair smelled like vanilla and cinnamon.  
"What if I got an MBA? That's what you're helping Oliver Queen get, right?"  
"Yep,"  
"Is he as dreamy as everyone says?" Iris asked with a sigh.  
"How should I know?" Barry snorted.  
"You're with him every week, aren't you? Tell me: What is he like?"  
"He's everything the tabloids say he is,"  
"Now, I know that's not true,"  
"Oh? How do you know?"  
"Call it Reporter's instinct. Now tell me the truth,"  
"Fine. He's...arrogant and smug, but...he has a softer side too. He cares about his little sister a lot. He's funny and sometimes charming. He's smart when he wants to be and...,"  
His voice trailed off when he noticed Iris staring at him with a peculiar expression on her face.  
"What?" He asked.  
"Oh, nothing," She replied, brown eyes sparkling mischievously, "Journalism, you say?"  
Barry narrowed his eyes at her.  
"Yeah...What's the look for, Iris?"  
"Nothing!" She repeated, "I just don't recall you telling me you had the hots for Oliver Queen,"  
The words were said so nonchalantly that Barry almost didn't process them.  
Almost.  
"Wait, what? I don't like Oliver Queen,"  
She stared at him intensely before shrugging.  
"Okay,"  
She took the paper from his hands and slid off his bed.  
"Iris, I don't like Oliver Queen!"  
"I said, okay! _Jeeze_!"  
"I just...need you to understand,"  
"Okay, Barry! Dad said dinner will be ready in 15 minutes, by the way,"  
"Okay, I mean, thanks,"  
She winked at him and he watched her leave, confused.  
He didn't like Oliver Queen. He didn't.

♚♚♚

Later that evening, Iris revealed to him that she indeed did not understand.  
Joe and Iris had been arguing - albeit playfully - about her potential relationships when Iris suddenly exclaimed,  
"Really, Dad? If this is how you treat me, I'd hate to see what you'll do when Barry brings Oliver home,"  
Barry - who had been taking a long sip from his glass - promptly began to choke.  
Once the immediate danger of dying had passed he turned to Iris, face bright red.  
"I'll...what?!"  
Iris tilted her head, expression confused.  
"You have a crush on him don't you?"  
"I-? No! No, no, no!!"  
"Really? Cause the way you talked about him...,"  
"I'm his tutor! It's my job to evaluate my students and find the best way to teach them,"  
"So, flirting with him helps him learn?"  
"What? No! I never said I flirted with him!"  
"You implied it,"  
"No, I didn't!"  
"Yes, you did!"  
"No, I-,"  
"Alright, you two," Joe finally intervened, lips twitching into a smile as he brought his bottle to his mouth, "Leave the poor boy alone, Iris,"  
She rolled her eyes but relented.  
"Fine! You don't have a crush on Oliver Queen. But you do have a crush on someone,"  
"Really?" Barry asked with a raised eyebrow, "And how do you figure that?"  
"Reporter's instinct remember? You're eyes go all soft sometimes and you smile to yourself like you're remembering something someone's said,"  
_Yeah_ , Barry thought, _Something you've said_.  
Out loud he said, "You're being ridiculous, Iris. I don't like anyone at the moment,"  
"Sure you don't!" She smirked.  
Thankfully, Joe interrupted and changed the subject.  
They spent the rest of the evening talking about their plans for after high school.  
"That's not fair! How come Barry can work for the CCPD, but I can't?"  
"Barry won't be in the thick of it, Iris. He'll be safe in the lab!"  
Throughout it all, Barry couldn't help his mind wandering to the same place.  
He didn't like Oliver. That was absolutely ridiculous.  
Right?

♚♚♚

"Hey,"  
A knock on his door made Barry look up from his textbook and turn his desk chair around.  
"Oh, hey Joe!"  
"How are you doing?"  
His foster dad leaned against the door frame as he stared at him.  
"Good. Just some last-minute studying,"  
"That's good. How's your tutoring going with that Queen kid?"  
"Okay, actually," He replied as he turned back to his notes, "He's getting better,"  
There was a long moment of silence that led Barry to believe that his foster father had left, but when he turned around, Joe was still there, fidgeting the way he did when he wanted to say something, but didn't know how.  
"You okay, Joe?"  
"Yeah, fine. It's just...you know you can come to me about anything, right?"  
"Uhhh...yeah?"  
"And...I know you're smart and will make good choices no matter what, right?"  
"Uhh, yes?" Barry raised an eyebrow at him, "Joe, what's going on?"  
"It's just...what Iris said about you and Queen kind of stuck with me and-,"  
"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Barry exclaimed, face flaming up.  
Joe looked away, discomfort written across his face.  
"Joe, I don't like Oliver Queen! How many times do I have to say that?"  
"I know, I know! I just...you fall hard and fast Barry. So fast that sometimes you don't even realize you've fallen,"  
"Joe," Barry groaned.  
"I just don't want you to get hurt," His foster father said.  
"I won't, Joe. In fact, I promise that the second things become less than professional with Oliver Queen, I'll quit! Deal?"  
Joe nodded, looking more comfortable and relaxed than he was a minute before.  
"Good,"  
"Can we please pretend like this conversation never happened now?" Barry pleaded, "Iris will never let me live this down,"  
"Sure," Joe chuckled, "But she was right about one thing: you like someone, Barry. Whether you know it or not,"  
He gave him one last smile and left with a quick, "Night,"  
"Good night," Barry called after him.  
He turned back to his textbook, but his thoughts were a jumbled mess.  
He didn't like Oliver.  
He didn't.  
No matter what anyone said.

♚♚♚

"Barry? Barry. Hello?"  
Barry startled out of his thoughts and turned to face the young billionaire.  
"Sorry. Yeah?"  
Oliver frowned at him. "You okay? You seem distracted,"  
"I'm fine," He replied, "Just thinking,"  
"About what?"  
"Something my foster father and sister said,"  
Oliver raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Foster?" He repeated.  
"Mmhmm," Barry replied in a tone that he hoped was disinterested enough to dissuade any further questions concerning that subject.  
Thankfully, Oliver seemed to have heard it and didn't press that matter.  
Instead, he said, "Sister? The same one you told Thea was complicated?"  
Barry scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. Her name's Iris. She's more of a best friend than a sister, though"  
Oliver stared at him hard, blue eyes prying.  
"What?" Barry asked when the silence and attention got too uncomfortable.  
"You like her, don't you?" Oliver suddenly asked.  
Barry sputtered. "N-no, I don't,"  
"Yes, you do," The older man insisted, "You're blushing,"  
"Blushing doesn't automatically signify that you like someone, Oliver"  
"Yes, it does and you blushed when you said her name,"  
"I don't like her like that. Like I said before: best friend,"  
"People fall in love with their best friends all the time," Oliver said, leaning back in his chair.  
"You talk as if you've had experience," Barry noted.  
Oliver shrugged, "Not really, no. I'm not the type to settle down, you know?"  
Barry snorted. "Everyone knows,"  
Oliver sent him a smirk. "What about you? You have a specific type?"  
Barry looked down at the paper he was grading. "Nope,"  
"C'mon, everyone has a type,"  
"Not me,"  
"I think you're lying,"  
"Think whatever you want. I don't have a type,"  
"Is your type this Iris girl? What's she like?"  
Barry looked up, face coloring "I don't like her,"  
"Then who?"  
"You really want me to name someone?"  
"Please?"  
"Fine," Barry sighed, rolling his eyes, "I'd like someone who was confident and funny and sweet. Someone like..."  
You.  
Barry froze before the last word could leave his mouth.  
"Well?" Oliver asked, "Someone like who?"  
"No one," Barry said, "Just...get back to work,"  
"Okay...,"  
Oliver gave him one last confused look before turning back to his work and Barry squeezed his eyes shut.

♚♚♚

Barry Allen did _not_ have a _crush_ on Oliver Queen.

Right?


	23. Sneak Peek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't posted in sooo looong!!!!
> 
> So here's a sneak peek of the next chapter!!
> 
> (Things are subject to change.)

Sara was having a nightmare.  
A series of nightmares, to be more specific.  
Some of them were imagined; things that never happened.  
Like Laurel telling her she should've never gone on the cruise or her dad burying an empty casket.

And others...were real.  
Too real.  
Like being yanked out into the freezing sea when the Gambit sank.  
Or helping Anthony with his twisted experiments on the Amazo.  
Hearing Oliver scream her name right before she was torn away from him.  
Again.

"Sara!"

The blonde shot up awake, breathing hard as she struggled to regain her bearings.  
Oliver's voice - his scream - echoed in her ears until it slowly faded away.  
Once she had calmed considerably, she took in her surroundings.  
Her pulse spiked with fear when she found she couldn't recognize anything.  
The room she was in was medieval, almost. The bed had four posts with red curtains parted on either side.  
It was beautiful, yes, but after her experience with Anthony, Sara no longer trusted that people did things out of the good of their hearts.  
Whoever saved her had a reason for doing so.  
A reason she would not stay long enough to figure out.  
She quickly stood from the bed, clenching her teeth as dizziness washed over her.  
Once it subdued some, she busied herself with looking for a weapon.   
She found a glass of water on a small desk near her bed and was briefly tempted to drink from it.   
For all she knew it was drugged.   
Bracing herself mentally, she slammed the glass down on the stone floor.  
The shattering sound echoed and she had no doubt that someone outside the room had heard her.  
Well, at least now she didn't have to wait for someone to check up on her.  
She grabbed the largest piece of glass and positioned herself in front of the door.  
Jumping back as the door swung open, she wasted no time in punching the visitor in the nose. They stumbled back, visibly shaken and she attacked again, kicking them in the stomach and they dropped to the ground.  
Somewhere during the one-sided fight, the visitor's mask had fallen off, revealing the face of a young man.  
She straddled him, raising the makeshift weapon above his chest.  
"Please," the man whimpered, eyes filling with tears.  
Sara faltered, taking in the man's features. He looked around Laurel's age.  
"I'm new here, please! I'll do better!"  
Despite not knowing what he was talking about, Sara felt a twinge of guilt  
"I'm sorry," she whispered, hardening her features as she brought her weapon down.  
The man jerked underneath her before stilling completely.  
Sara looked down at her hand, unsure if the blood on it was her's or the mans'.  
Sliding off of him, she searched his robes for a weapon, sighing in relief when she found a knife.   
Gripping the hilt tightly, she started down the stone hallway.   
When she heard footsteps and voices approaching, she quickly pressed herself against a wall, grateful for the low light the torches provided.  
She watched as figures similarly clad to the man she killed, walked past her. One of them though, stood apart from the dark robes - wearing one with accents of gold and crimson.  
They approached the fallen man and stared down at him in silence.  
One of the dark figures broke away from the group and entered the room where she had been resting moments before.   
Sara's heart thumped wildly and she willed herself to stay calm as they returned.  
Somewhere inside of her, that little girl who still wanted to be a doctor when she grew older protested at the thought of killing someone.  
But the other side of her, the side she had discovered while working on the Amazo knew that it was kill or be killed.  
And she'd be damned if she made it this long, only to be taken out by robe-clad freaks.  
"Where is she?" Asked the one wearing the red robes.  
A woman's voice.  
Foreign.  
"She was here a moment ago, Heir,"  
"But she is not here now," the woman, Heir, said, voice tinged with annoyance,   
"Find her!"  
As soon as they left, Sara wasted no time.  
She launched forward, tackling the woman to the ground.  
As she raised her arm to stab her, something sharp cut across her face  
and the Heir rolled out of the way, flipping back onto her feet.  
Before Sara could process anything else, she was kicked in the shoulder, causing her to lose balance. The knife fell out of her grasp and skittered across the floor.  
She started to crawl toward it, only to be stopped by rough hands yanking her up from the ground.  
"Are you okay, Heir?"  
"Fine," the woman said, pulling back her hood.  
A dark cloth remained around her mouth, but her eyes were visible now, along with black curls that fell down her back.  
Sara strained against the man's firm hold and froze when a blade was placed against her neck.  
"Shall I kill her?"  
Sara felt her blood run cold and watched as the woman strode forward until she was a foot away.  
There seemed to be an unspoken staring competition between them.  
Sara raised her chin, refusing to be the first to look away.  
The woman's eyebrow twitched, the closest thing to an emotion that Sara had seen on her face so far.  
"No," the Heir suddenly said, "Stand down,"  
The blade was immediately removed from her neck and she let out a shaky exhale.  
"Her room then?" The man asked.  
The Heir looked her up and down and Sara felt a sliver of annoyance when her face warmed.  
"No. Escort her to the infirmary,"

She looked at Sara with dark eyes.  
"I'll be there shortly,"


	24. Heir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this seems a little short. I'm trying to spread this arc around evenly.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!!

Sara was having a nightmare.  
A series of nightmares, to be more specific.  
Some of them were imagined; things that never happened.  
Like Laurel telling her she should've never gone on the cruise or her dad burying an empty casket.

And others...were real.  
Too real.  
Like being yanked out into the freezing sea when the Gambit sank.  
Or helping Anthony with his twisted experiments on the Amazo.  
Hearing Oliver scream her name right before she was torn away from him.  
Again.

"Sara!"

The blonde shot up awake, breathing hard as she struggled to regain her bearings.  
Oliver's voice - his scream - echoed in her ears until it slowly faded away.  
Once she had calmed considerably, she took in her surroundings.  
Her pulse spiked with fear when she found she couldn't recognize anything.  
The room she was in was medieval, almost. The bed had four posts with red curtains parted on either side.  
It was beautiful, yes, but after her experience with Anthony, Sara no longer trusted that people did things out of the good of their hearts.  
Whoever saved her had a reason for doing so.  
A reason she would not stay long enough to figure out.  
She quickly stood from the bed, clenching her teeth as dizziness washed over her.  
Once it subdued some, she busied herself with looking for a weapon.   
She found a glass of water on a small desk near her bed and was briefly tempted to drink from it.   
For all she knew it was drugged.   
Bracing herself mentally, she slammed the glass down on the stone floor.  
The shattering sound echoed and she had no doubt that someone outside the room had heard her.  
Well, at least now she didn't have to wait for someone to check up on her.  
She grabbed the largest piece of glass and positioned herself in front of the door.  
Jumping back as the door swung open, she wasted no time in punching the visitor in the nose. They stumbled back, visibly shaken and she attacked again, kicking them in the stomach and they dropped to the ground.  
Somewhere during the one-sided fight, the visitor's mask had fallen off, revealing the face of a young man.  
She straddled him, raising the makeshift weapon above his chest.  
"Please," the man whimpered, eyes filling with tears.  
Sara faltered, taking in the man's features. He looked around Laurel's age.  
"I'm new here, please! I'll do better!"  
Despite not knowing what he was talking about, Sara felt a twinge of guilt  
"I'm sorry," she whispered, hardening her features as she brought her weapon down.  
The man jerked underneath her before stilling completely.  
Sara looked down at her hand, unsure if the blood on it was her's or the mans'.  
Sliding off of him, she searched his robes for a weapon, sighing in relief when she found a knife.   
Gripping the hilt tightly, she started down the stone hallway.   
When she heard footsteps and voices approaching, she quickly pressed herself against a wall, grateful for the low light the torches provided.  
She watched as figures similarly clad to the man she killed, walked past her. One of them though, stood apart from the dark robes - wearing one with accents of gold and crimson.  
They approached the fallen man and stared down at him in silence.  
One of the dark figures broke away from the group and entered the room where she had been resting moments before.   
Sara's heart thumped wildly and she willed herself to stay calm as they returned.  
Somewhere inside of her, that little girl who still wanted to be a doctor when she grew older protested at the thought of killing someone.  
But the other side of her, the side she had discovered while working on the Amazo knew that it was kill or be killed.  
And she'd be damned if she made it this long, only to be taken out by robe-clad freaks.  
"Where is she?" Asked the one wearing the red robes.  
A woman's voice.  
Foreign.  
"She was here a moment ago, Heir,"  
"But she is not here now," the woman, Heir, said, voice tinged with annoyance,   
"Find her!"  
As soon as they left, Sara wasted no time.  
She launched forward, tackling the woman to the ground.  
As she raised her arm to stab her, something sharp cut across her face  
and the Heir rolled out of the way, flipping back onto her feet.  
Before Sara could process anything else, she was kicked in the shoulder, causing her to lose balance. The knife fell out of her grasp and skittered across the floor.  
She started to crawl toward it, only to be stopped by rough hands yanking her up from the ground.  
"Are you okay, Heir?"  
"Fine," the woman said, pulling back her hood.  
A dark cloth remained around her mouth, but her eyes were visible now, along with black curls that fell down her back.  
Sara strained against the man's firm hold and froze when a blade was placed against her neck.  
"Shall I kill her?"  
Sara felt her blood run cold and watched as the woman strode forward until she was a foot away.  
There seemed to be an unspoken staring competition between them.  
Sara raised her chin, refusing to be the first to look away.  
The woman's eyebrow twitched, the closest thing to an emotion that Sara had seen on her face so far.  
"No," the Heir suddenly said, "Stand down,"  
The blade was immediately removed from her neck and she let out a shaky exhale.  
"Her room then?" The man asked.  
The Heir looked her up and down and Sara felt a sliver of annoyance when her face warmed.  
"No. Escort her to the infirmary,"

She looked at Sara with dark eyes.  
"I'll be there shortly,"

♚♚♚

"You should be more careful." The Heir said as she entered the infirmary.

Sara looked away from the man who was picking glass out of her hands and scowled at her.

"There are ways, you know, to hold weapons in ways that do not harm you," the woman continued.  
"I'll keep that in mind when I try to kill you again," Sara growled.  
Instead of growing angry like she had hoped, the Heir simply smirked.  
"Leave us," she said to the man.  
He bowed his head and left, leaving the two women alone.  
The Heir took a clean, white cloth and poured a clear, colorless liquid onto it.  
"What is that?" Sara demanded.  
"Poison," the Heir said, expression arranged in a way that made Sara unsure if she were joking or not.  
"Seriously," She asked.  
The Heir took her chin in her hands and tilted her head to the side.  
"Rubbing alcohol," she said, her only warning before dabbing it onto the cut on Sara's cheek.   
Sara bit her lip, happy when she didn't flinch.  
Once the cut was cleaned, the Heir taped gauze onto it.  
As soon as she finished, Sara jumped off the cot and walked over to a mirror hanging on the wall.

"No thank you?" The Heir asked from near a water bowl where she was washing her hands.  
"Seeing as you're the one who gave it to me, no,"  
The Heir glared at her.  
"You tried to kill me. I could have killed you. Instead, I took pity on you,"  
Sara snorted, turning to face the dark-haired woman.  
"I don't want your pity," she hissed.  
The Heir laughed, a dark sound that sent shivers down her spine.  
"You're lucky it was me checking up on you and not my Father. He'd make it so that you never used your hands again."  
Sara scoffed.  
"I'm not scared of him. Or you."  
The Heir came forward, dark eyes blazing.  
"You should be,"  
Sara kept her gaze level as she stared into the Heir' s eyes.  
"I would like to leave," Sara said, "Now."  
The Heir's lips twitched.  
"You think you actually have a say in what happens to you?"  
"You sure as hell, don't" Sara countered.  
"You are very wrong about that, Sara,"   
The blonde felt her blood run cold.  
"How do you know my name?" She asked.  
A strange expression passed over the Heir's face and she looked away.  
"Let me escort you to your room,"  
Sara scowled as the Heir maneuvered around her and walked out.   
She jogged after her, taking in the stone walls and dimly lit rooms.  
The sounds of swords clashing grabbed Sara's attention and she wandered away from Nyssa.  
She leaned against a stone arch and peered into a room where two figures were sparring. One was clothed similarly to the Heir, with the exception of the gold touches.  
Though Sara was no expert in the art of fighting, it was obvious that this one was the superior warrior.   
He, or she (they wore a mask), moved with a deadly grace, armed with long silver blades in each hand.  
"That is Al-Bariq," the Heir said from behind her.  
Sara jerked slightly, not having heard the woman approach her.  
"He is good, no?"  
Sara shrugged not willing to agree.  
It didn't take long for Al-Bariq to disarm his sparring partner.  
Instead of stopping as Sara had expected, he continued to strike, virtually knocking his opponent around.  
"He's won," Sara said, "Why doesn't he stop?"  
The Heir didn't answer, watching the fight with dark eyes.  
Sara inhaled sharply as Al-Bariq suddenly stabbed his opponent in the leg, causing them to scream in pain.  
He raised his sword again and Sara braced herself.  
"That is enough!" the Heir commanded, "Stand down."  
Al-Bariq turned in their direction and Sara swore she saw his eyes flash yellow.  
He slowly lowered his sword and made an exaggerated bow.  
"Let us go," the Heir said as Al-Bariq turned away.  
"What?" Sara asked, "You're just going to let him get away with mocking you? I thought you were the boss here?"  
"I am," the Heir said, "Al-Bariq is just a...special case,"  
Sara scowled. What did that mean?  
They arrived at her room, the body of the man she had killed gone.  
"He said he was new here," Sara remembered as she re-entered her room, "What did he mean by that? What is here? _Where_ is here?"  
The Heir looked at her.  
"Well?" Sara pressed.  
"Nanda Parbat," the Heir finally said as she pulled the door shut.  
Sara barely caught her last words, sure that she had heard wrong.

_"The League of Assasins_ ,"


	25. Author's Note

Hi, guys!

Sorry, this isn't an actual chapter.

School has been hectic the past couple months and I kind-of pushed this fic to the back of my mind.

Lately, I've been absolutely obsessed with the Broadway musical _Hamilton._ It is literally the greatest thing ever and you guys should totally check it out if you're into that kind of stuff. I've actually started writing a fic about it and _what-is-my-life?!?_

Am I really writing fanfiction about the founding fathers?

Goodness, I'm weird...

....

_**Anywho**_ , back to this fic.

As I re-read the chapter, I can't help but cringe at certain places. The way I structured the paragraphs and story in general, is absolutely horrific!

Which is why I'll be editing the whole entire thing.

Unless you really want to, re-reading won't be necessary. There won't be any major changes, just little tweaks here and there.

Once that's cleared up, I'd love to start writing again!

 

Thank you so much for all your patience and support!!

Leave comments about which direction you want the story to go, what you think of the latest seasons of Flash and Arrow and all that good stuff!!

 

Love ya!

❤️❤️❤️

**Author's Note:**

> Nice comments and kudos welcomed!


End file.
